


Snippets of Forever

by ReneyyySprouse



Category: Kim Possible (Cartoon)
Genre: Cannon, College, Dating, Drama, F/M, Feelings, Fights, First Time, Forever, Friendship, Graduation, Growing Up, High School, Honesty, Intimacy, Jealousy, Kim/Ron - Freeform, Love, Romance, one shots, relationship, season 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2020-09-06 15:57:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 36,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20294131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReneyyySprouse/pseuds/ReneyyySprouse
Summary: It didn't take long for Ron to discover that the notion of "forever" was not only the magical foundation of their decade-plus long friendship, but it was also quickly becoming the structure of their newly blossoming relationship... even if Kim didn't immediately realise it for herself. Series of adorably sappy one-shots, Kim/Ron.





	1. So Not... The End

Ron's heart was absolutely racing out of his chest. And not just because of the fear that one pump too many on the gas was going to send him and the rockets of his newly-modified scooter shooting off into space.

It wasn't the victory that had almost slipped from their grasp that evening that was making his palms sweat, and it wasn't the lasting effects of their rooftop battle in the pouring rain that had sent a shiver running up his spine. No; the cause of the particularly nervous swarm of butterflies that were currently performing backflips in Ron's stomach was the tight sensation of the arms that were wrapped around his waist.

Kim's arms.

Around his waist.

Her hands weren't just loosely and innocently placed on his shoulders like when they had been tearing through the Middleton streets a mere three or so hours ago.

Kim's _arms _were squeezed around Ron's _waist _in an affectionate hug.

As the blonde teenager continued to break down the seemingly simply fact in his brain, Ron suddenly jumped just a little as he sensed Kim shift in her position where she sat behind him. The goosebumps dancing on the back of his neck were replaced with a renewed warmth as the teen hero shuffled closer to her best friend and turned her head to the side, resting her cheek against his back and nuzzling into him.

Ron gulped. Was this really happening?

As the beats echoing behind his ribs continued to peak and the thoughts in his mind continued to whirl, all of Ron's brain activity came to a sudden standstill when he spotted his and Kim's neighbouring driveways approaching on the horizon.

A million frantic questions immediately touched every corner of his soul. Should he drop her off at home? Should he walk her to her front door? Should he join her in explaining to her parents just what the heck had happened between the two of them?

...How exactly did Kim plan on saying good night to him that evening?

In the very next second, the sensation of the beautiful redhead sliding her hands down from his waist to pinch slightly at his hips abruptly snapped Ron out of his trance. With an uncertain 'eep' from between his lips, the teenage boy barely paused to think as he sent his scooter on a sharp veer towards the top of the driveway that belonged to his best friend.

Almost instantly, Ron's panicked insecurities made him second guess himself. On the rare occasion where the two would opt for his scooter over simply walking home from school or Beuno Nacho, Kim would _always _get dropped off at Ron's place. Why was he making it weird now?

Wait, was it weird?

Was he being weird?

Did _Kim _think he was being weird?

While his third internal argument in just as many minutes was surely about to make his head explode, it was then that Ron magically felt himself relax at the simple sound of Kim giggling gently from behind him.

"Um, I think you stopped a little short of your driveway?"

Scratch that, the panic was back. He was _so _being weird.

"Ha! Ah, yeah, I just figured, um, ya' know..." Ron began, scrambling to pull his helmet off, "After a long night of crime fighting and kicking syntho-butt and saving the world you might just, um..."

Finally stopping himself to take a breath, Ron felt his face turn pale as the embarrassment of his crazed ramblings slowly crept up on him. He hung his head forward over the handlebars of his scooter, groaning out loud.

"Look, if you want me to just drive up to my place like normal, it's - "

"Ron," Kim interjected, her laughter growing a little more amused, "Relax. I'm only joking."

"Oh," he murmured, "Oh, ha ha, yeah, I knew that..."

The blonde boy sensed the weight of his scooter shift as Kim carefully swung one leg over and came to her feet. Ron quickly followed suit, kicking down the stand and eventually turning around to face her.

The silence that fell between them felt sort of strange.

As Kim removed her helmet and flicked her gorgeous, red ponytail out of her face, Ron's heart skipped a beat. The teen hero smiled sweetly, holding the head wear out for him to take from her. When he didn't meet her eyes, Kim's expression drooped slightly.

Ron didn't have to gaze up to know that Kim was frowning at him. He could all but feel her sharp brows piercing right through him.

He swallowed, pausing for a moment as he thought back on the dreamlike hour he had just spent with her at the prom. He and Kim had arrived at the gym, hand in hand. They had laughed, they had danced, and they had... well, _you know_.

But after that singular instant of bliss, everything that followed had been sort of normal. Sure, Kim had remained attached to Ron's arm and snuggled into his side at every possible moment, but any questions from their friends regarding their relationship status were only brushed off for the sake of enjoying the rest of the night.

The whole thing had left Ron feeling kind of... confused.

As the bizarre quiet between them stretched on for certainly a second too long, Ron cleared his throat, quickly deciding on an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Heh, man, who would've thought after destructive kiddie toys, and synthodrones, and Drakken almost pulling one over on us that the weirdest part of the night would actually come _after _we beat the bad guys..."

Suffice to say, the joke did not go over well.

As Ron finally dared to peek a glance at Kim, he almost shrivelled right down within himself to find how tightly her arms were crossed over her chest and how narrowed her green eyes still were.

Heaving out a long sigh as he tried to look past how tweaked she was, Ron stared directly at Kim. Her hair and makeup may not have been as perfect as they were at the start of the night, and the bottom of her baby blue dress may have been singed from the earlier cybertronic encounter in her living room, but _God, _Ron swore that there was no girl in the universe more beautiful than Kim Possible.

Finally, as the small smirk in the corner of his lips dropped from his mouth, Ron took a deep breath. He knew that he owed it to both of them to make good on the thought that he had almost been brave enough to finish while they had been held captive in Beuno Nacho headquarters.

"KP, look... I know what Bonnie yelled out when we got to prom, and I know that we kinda' made a... statement... in front of everyone, but, like... if this is all too much for you right and now and you'd just rather pretend like nothing ever - "

"Ron!" Kim suddenly snapped, cutting him off for a second time. When she reached forward and laced her fingers between his, Ron's jaw dropped open, "Don't you _dare _finish that sentence."

His stomach fluttered when she squeezed his hands on the word 'dare'. She could tell by the way his eyes widened. Softening her chiselled expression, Kim finally grinned at the timid, blonde boy before her.

"Tonight wasn't weird at all," she promised him, "Tonight was perfect."

Ron choked on the start of a sentence as a breath of disbelief escaped his lips, "It was?"

"Yes," Kim assured him with a chuckle. She leaned up to brush his cheek with the delicate pad of her thumb, her smile at him still beaming, "And I don't want to ruin all that now with some long, daunting... slightly awk-weird convo about what we are and where we go from here."

Ron's blush was burning with how rosy he imagined his face had to be by now. He tried to shy away from her, but Kim quickly caught his attention when she took his hand back and inched her way closer to him.

"Let's talk tomorrow, okay? We can go grab breakfast together?"

"Well, okay," Ron squirmed with some reluctance, "But as much as I hate to say it, I am _waaaay _to scarred to eat at Beuno Nacho anytime soon..."

"There are other places in town to eat, you know," Kim teased, "How about that cute little brunch place right outside the main entrance to the mall? Say, nine-thirty?"

"Nine-thirty," Ron agreed with a nod of his head, "Okay."

Kim smirked up at him, "Okay."

An early summer breeze was the only sensation to cross them for a short minute as the two teens continued to stare into one another. But in the next instant, it was like they had been transported back to that mystical moment of twinkling light under the disco ball all over again. Sparkling green eyes mirrored chocolate brown, their matching smiles shone as bright as the stars that speckled the sky above them, and when Kim leaned up on her toes, Ron didn't hesitate for a second.

The kiss was just as warm and endearing as it had been an hour ago at prom, and yet somehow, it only tasted a million times sweeter. The strawberry scent of Kim's hair was driving Ron absolutely crazy as he dropped his hands to her waist and held her closer. Kim's kiss smirked against his in response while she settled her delicate grasp on the ruffled chest of his powder blue tuxedo.

With their skin tingling and their blood sizzling, their lips met again and again as they lapped affectionately at one another. Kim felt her head spin at a surge of bravery from Ron when he splayed his palm against the small of her back and coaxed her further towards him.

If for whatever accursed reason this was the last time he would ever get to kiss her, Ron was certainly making the most of it. It made Kim's insides burn with desire. And so, as soon as her wits managed to return to her, the teenage girl dared to even dive deeper into her best friend's embrace.

The blonde boy prayed that the squeaking sound that left him next was only in his head as he quivered at the most sensual half a second of his life when he felt Kim barely brush the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip. Luckily for the both of them, though, Ron was just able to keep from fainting before the need to breathe well and truly began to take over.

With a long, halfhearted sigh that travelled from their respective lungs and met at their parting lips, the two teenagers withdrew from the unbelievable exchange and took the tiniest step back from one another.

Her head was still swirling, he was still out on his feet, and they were both almost certainly out of breath. But when Ron glanced down and immediately spotted the happiness dancing in Kim's emerald green orbs, both of their chests absolutely soared.

The silence overcame them for just a second longer before she broke it with the most blissful little whisper, shifting her hand away from his chest to find his own.

"Good night, Ron."

The words left Kim with an irresistible glow as Ron murmured right back at her, giving her fingertips a gentle squeeze.

"'Night, Kim."

A cold, empty chill ran across him the very second her hand left his, but the feeling was instantly quashed as Ron watched Kim twirl around on her heels, her dress and her hair dancing gracefully all around her. The teenage boy grabbed a hold of the handlebars on his scooter, doing all he could to keep himself upright as his eyes continued to followed Kim's figure where she walked down her driveway towards her house.

Ron blew out a long breath, one that he hadn't even realised he'd been holding. Just as he was beginning to question whether or not the past five minutes had all been a vividly detailed dream, Kim took one last peek over her shoulder at him, his expression widening into a smiley blush for surely the hundredth time that night.

The young hero stared at her best friend a moment longer, keeping one eye on him as he finally about faced and began to walk both himself and his scooter back home. Her heart was thumping lightly in her chest. Through all the planes she'd ever jumped out of, and all the lairs she'd managed to escape before their imminent explosion, and all the villains she'd ever defeated - Kim was certain she'd never felt the level of adrenaline pump through her veins that had consumed her during her entire evening spent with Ron.

Impulsively biting down on her bottom lip, Kim whipped her head back around and kept on the beeline towards her front door - or, rather, the lack thereof. She had almost begun to believe that there was nothing that could possibly distract her from the bliss of one of the best nights of her life, when a light bulb suddenly popped on in Kim's head. She slowed in her pacing, her eyes narrowing towards the gaping hole in the front of her house.

The evidence of the destruction left behind from the not-so-lil' Diablos was clear as day when Kim immediately spied the way the ceiling in her family's living room was still completely caved in as she entered her home. She cringed with a scowl as she avoided the debris on her way to the kitchen through the seemingly empty house.

"Hello?"

"In here, Kimmie," the response came in an instant.

Kim smiled at the sound of her mother's voice as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. Ann Possible was sitting at the small breakfast table in a comfy pair of sweats, sipping away from a mug of hot cocoa. The elder redhead grinned right back at her daughter.

"Hey," Kim spoke, frowning for a split second, "Where are Dad and the tweebs?"

Ann rolled her eyes at the long-standing nickname for her boys, "They've already checked into a hotel downtown for the night. Your father and I agreed it was much safer than staying at home without a roof or a front door."

"Mom," Kim argued, cutting through her mother's chuckles, "You guys didn't have to waste money on a hotel, if anyone even tried to break in through the ceiling in the middle of the night, then I'd - "

" - _You_ have fought enough crime for one night, young lady," Ann countered gently, "Just leave everything to your dad and me - he's already enlisted the help of his workmen from the space station. All they need is a couple of days, and then this old place will be back to normal in no time."

Kim still looked uncertain as her mum stood from her place at the table. Ann affectionately touched her daughter's shoulder, passing her on her way to the kitchen sink, "You don't need to worry, honey. The Stoppables promised to keep an eye on the house tonight while we're gone."

The butterflies in Kim's stomach immediately soared into a spin.

A dreamy haze cast its way over her green eyes as she shyly glanced down at her feet at the sound of her best friend's name. The swooning reaction to the mere mention of him felt sort of surreal. Kim may not have been completely certain of what was truly happening between her and Ron - but she sure as heck knew she didn't want it stop.

"_Soooo,_" Ann cooed teasingly, "How was the prom?"

With her head still in the clouds, Kim blew out a joyful breath, "It was perfect."

"And, Eric?"

Without missing a single beat, the expression on Kim's face fell faster than the signal tower had fallen from the roof of Bueno Nacho HQ earlier that night.

The teenage girl's teeth found her lip again as she chewed down in nervous hesitation. Despite the fact that Kim had raced home before returning to prom that evening, all she had been focused on was bolting upstairs to change out of her battle suit and back into her dress before joining her new and improved date where he had been waiting for her on his scooter outside her house.

There may have been _some _crucial highlights from her evening that Kim chose to temporarily redact from her parents. Mainly the fact that Eric turned out to be an evil synthodrone built by Dr. Drakken that had been sent to destroy her. But also - and much more importantly - that she and her best friend of twelve years were now on the verge of discovering their incredibly strong feelings for one another.

Kim felt her skin tingle for a split second before the thought of Eric made her blood boil.

"Do _not _even talk to me about that syntho-loser."

From where she was scrubbing her empty mug in the sink, Ann sensed her brow crease into a frown, "Syntho-?" she began, shaking her head, "Sweetie, if this is some kind of new teen lingo, you're really going to have to - "

"It's not a code name, Mom," Kim sighed. When her mother turned back to face her, concern clearly etched into her features, she took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Eric was a..." she swallowed, "Um, turns out he was a... synthodrone. One of Drakken's goons. That worked for him and Shego."

There was a beat of silence before the realisation slapped Ann hard across the face.

"Oh, honey!"

The volume of Mrs. Dr. P's shock was so loud that it shook the barely-there foundations of the Possibles' ceiling as she wrenched her daughter into a tight hug.

"Oh, Kimmie, I'm so sorry that happened to you!"

Kim chuckled slightly under her breath, "Mom, don't worry, it's - "

"That Drakken fellow has sunk to an entirely new low!"

"Mom, it- "

"He is one lucky villain to be locked up in prison right now, because if I _ever _got my hands on him, I - "

"Mom!"

The exasperated tone in Kim's voice surprised Ann for a moment as her daughter wriggled out of the suffocating grip she had on her.

"Mom, seriously," the young woman repeated, "It's all okay, I'm fine. Well, no, I mean, it did majorly tank at first, but..."

As her eyes quickly found her dainty, blue shoes again, Kim reached across her torso to nervously scratch her arm. Ignoring the renewed sense of worry that had begun to rumble in her core, Ann placed a gentle hand under Kim's chin, tilting her head up and pushing a strand of red hair behind her ear.

"Kimmie?"

Kim smiled at the loving understanding in her mum's face. A lick of bravery crossed her tongue as she finally opened her mouth to speak again, "But, I guess... the whole thing made me realise that Eric never really was the right guy for me in the first place. And that I should've been going to the prom with the date I ended up taking all along."

Ann raised a curious eyebrow, "A date?" she questioned, "Like, a date just to keep you company? Or a _date _date?"

Kim was genuinely shocked that the loud thumping of her heart couldn't be heard throughout the silent kitchen. Soon enough, she smirked through a fiery blush.

"A date date," she confirmed quietly, "With Ron."

The quiet didn't last much longer when a huge smile stretched across Ann's face.

"_Yessss_!"

Kim's jaw dropped at the unexpected reaction from her mum. The red colouring in her cheeks suddenly filled every other pigment of her porcelain skin as she chuckled in a mix of embarrassment and disbelief.

"Mom?" she questioned suspiciously.

"What?" Ann argued with an encouraging grin, "It's no secret that I've been rooting for you two."

"Uh, no secret to anyone except for me, apparently," Kim argued, following Ann as she circled back towards the kitchen table, "And you've been '_rooting for us_' for how long, exactly?"

Holding a sarcastic finger to her temple, Ann hummed to herself in hesitation, "When did you and Josh stop seeing each other, again?"

Kim's complexion was now well and truly the same colour as her hair as Ann continued to giggle away at her daughter's expense. Offering a gentle hand of defence, Ann beckoned Kim to join her at the table.

"Oh, come on, Kimmie, I'm only teasing," she promised, smiling softly at Kim as she took a seat across from her, "So?" she asked with a hopeful breath, "A date with Ron? How did it go?"

Kim's shoulders slouched down with a wistful sigh as she leaned back in her chair, "Amazingly."

The simple answer of absolute happiness from her daughter peaked Ann's eager excitement, "Details, honey, I need details?"

Glancing up to catch her mother's curious eyes staring at her, Kim sensed the fair skin of her arms prickle with a thousand goosebumps. Her lips were still tingling as she cleared her throat, "I mean... we kissed. More than once."

"So, does that mean the two of you are - "

" - Not... _officially_," Kim spoke, finishing Ann's thought, "We didn't want to put a damper of how perfect everything about tonight was with some big, serious talk. We're gonna' grab some breakfast in the morning and, ya' know, talk then."

Ann nodded her head in understanding as she tentatively licked her bottom lip, "And... that mild panic attack you had the other week about him 'not being boyfriend material'?"

The bright features of Kim's face immediately dulled at the words from her mum. It took a few dreaded moments for the memory to fully return to her, but the second it did, the harshness of it all kicked Kim in the guts harder than Shego ever could.

Groaning out loud, the redhead buried her face in her hands, "Please, do not remind me," she sighed, "I was so unbelievably, ferociously wrong. I can't believe I would say something so stuck up and shallow and _stupid _and - "

"Honey," Ann consoled her, reaching across the table for Kim's hand, "Don't be so hard on yourself. Change is scary at the best of times, let alone when that change is affecting something you've been so comfortable with for your whole life."

Ann took a tighter grip on her daughter, giving Kim's hand a gentle squeeze, "The only thing that matters is that you want to be girlfriend and boyfriend _now_, right?"

Without wasting a single second, Kim shot her mum a rather obvious look, raising an eyebrow and smirking through her reddened cheeks. Ann chuckled again, smiling at her baby girl with all the affection in the world.

"Just be honest with each other, sweetie. Everything will fall into place exactly the way you want it to."

Kim could swear she felt the physical sensation of the advice from her mum settling comfortably in the back of her mind. It was honestly taking every ounce of willpower that sat deep within her to not dash over to Ron's house and wrap him in a tight hug and mark their official status with her kiss of approval right then and there.

But Kim knew her mother was right. As long as she executed even the tiniest bit of patience and logic and honesty - she _knew _that what she had shared with Ron that evening would become much more than just be a single moment of magic.

"Okay, okay, now before it gets too late," Ann suddenly spoke, glancing at her watch as she snapped Kim from her dreamy trance, "How about you run upstairs and jump into some pyjamas so we can head downtown to meet your father and the boys?"

A fresh warmth ran through Kim as she swivelled around in her seat to make a start for her room. The thought of changing into her comfiest PJs and snuggling deep down into a mountain of blankets sounded like heaven right now, even if it wasn't in her own bed.

She heard her mum follow behind her as Kim ascended the first step from the living room to the second floor of her house. She completely understood why her parents wanted to play it safe and stay at a hotel until their home was properly mended. Kim only hoped that all of the repair plans set for the next day weren't going to compromise the tight timeline she was facing in the morning.

Taking a second to mull over this thought, Kim swayed in hesitation before clearing her throat and glancing back over her shoulder at Ann, "Hey, um, just with tomorrow morning, though - "

"Don't worry, Kimmie," Ann interrupted with a sly smirk, "I'll bring you straight back home bright and early so you'll have plenty of time to get ready for your _date_."

With a roll of her eyes, Kim scrunched her nose up at Ann's lighthearted jab. Her butterflies may have still tickling her tummy just as fiercely as before, but they quickly told her to save herself from any further teasing and bring the storytelling with her mum to an end. At least for now, anyway.

Ann watched Kim as she turned on her heels and skipped up the stairs to her room. There was a distinct mixture of pride and joy and relief dwelling within her all at once as the older woman blew out content breath.

For a night that very well could have turned into complete and utter heartbreak for her daughter, Ann was simply over the moon that Kim - _and _Ron - had both ended up exactly where the two of them were right now.

And as the Possible matriarch shifted her glance to the old photo on the wall of the brace-faced redhead and the goofy little blonde boy for the second time that night - Ann felt her heart smile.

* * *

Ron was nervous. Ron was _super _nervous.

The jittery teen tried to get a handle on his shaky breath as he cleared his throat. He fiddled with the hem of his red hockey jersey, he scuffed one shoe against the other, he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

And, yet - unsurprisingly - Ron still felt nervous.

Groaning under his breath in frustration with himself, Ron hastily rolled up his sleeve to look down at his Fearless Ferret watch. It was nine twenty-four in the morning. Despite the fact that the blonde boy was sure he had to be living in some kind of alternate universe by this point, time and space was perfectly intact, and Ron was just as early for his date that morning as he had been five minutes ago when he arrived.

Wait. Date? Is that what Ron had just thought to himself? Was this a _date_? Did Kim think this was a date?

"Get it together, Rondo," he suddenly muttered, cursing himself as he began to pace in small steps out the front of the breakfast cafe.

Maybe it didn't matter how exactly Ron and Kim chose to define their little meet-up that morning. That's what they were here to talk about anyway, right? All that mattered to Ron was that he had actually managed to show up on time - _early, _even. He may not have been a morning person, but the last thing Ron planned on doing that day was messing up everything that was simmering between he and Kim before it even had the chance to come to a full boil.

The anxious lump returned to his throat for a split second as Ron tugged on the collar of his shirt with one hand and stuffed the other into the depths of his pocket. The obvious vacancy between the khaki coloured fabric made Ron sigh. He was beginning to wish that Rufus was there with him to offer some much needed encouragement and support, but his little buddy had decided to give his humans the space they clearly needed to talk, just like he had the night before.

The tiny pink rodent was sure to be bummed about skipping out on breakfast, though. Speaking of which, it was then that Ron's stomach suddenly grumbled out loud. The teenager stuck his bottom lip out in a pout, trying to ignore the pain his empty tummy was causing him.

Just as he was beginning to wonder what may have been keeping the usual overly-punctual Kim, the sweet sound of a familiar voice echoing from behind him made Ron's heart skip a beat.

"Ron!"

His face lit up in immediate happiness when his brown eyes landed on Kim.

The young woman was wearing one of her favourite pairs of cuffed, white pants and a baby blue top in her signature cropped style. Ron felt his throat turn dry as he swallowed. Summer had well and truly kicked in, and Kim looked like a goddess as the sun soaked into her ivory skin.

"Hey, K-"

Just as he had finally remembered the need to actually converse with her, Ron suddenly cut himself off as he realised something about the way Kim was approaching him.

With a beaming grin glued to her face and an all too eager skip in her step, Ron sensed his eyes widen in surprise when his best friend threw herself into his arms, wrapping her own around his torso in a tight hug.

"Morning," she spoke gently, smiling as she listened to the sound of his heart racing in her ear.

After being frozen for only a quarter of a second, Ron had quickly returned Kim's embrace, holding her affectionately by the waist.

The joy in his voice was unmistakable, "Hey, Kim."

Her expression mirrored all the same emotions as Kim took a step back from Ron, observing him through twinkling, green orbs, "You're early."

"Heh, not, like, _super _early," Ron fumbled coolly through a white lie, "I only just got here."

"But without Rufus?" she asked, taking a side-eye glance at the pocket of his pants.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Ron answered, brushing off the thought, "Little dude was set on sleeping in. He'll eat something at home."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I am starving right _now. _After all the Drakken drama last night, I didn't have time for any dinner at prom."

Ron quickly nodded his head in agreement. He had been trying to block out the irresistible smells of sweet pancakes and sizzling bacon the entire time he had been waiting outside the main entrance to the mall.

But before he even had the chance to lick his hungry lips and open his mouth to respond, any notion of food suddenly became the last thought on Ron's mind.

"Come on," Kim exclaimed, reaching down to grab his hand in hers, "Before our stomachs start eating themselves from the inside out."

Ron could all but feel how abruptly his face turned pale in a flood of fresh nerves as Kim tugged him along behind her and into the cafe. Each of the same terrifying thoughts that had suffocated him on the way to prom the night before were back in full force as he tried not to panic.

Could she tell how anxious he was? Was she worried about someone they knew spotting them hand-in-hand? Oh _God _\- was his hand all clammy and sweaty and gross where it sat in hers?

"Wanna' sit by the window?"

Ron gulped as the sweetness in Kim's tone cut straight through all his inner ramblings.

"Uh, s-sure."

Even if his skin did happen to be swimming in a stressed coat of perspiration, Kim certainly didn't seem to care. As they made their approach to the small, cosy table in the corner of the cafe by the window, the teen hero gave Ron's hand a gentle squeeze before separating from him and entering the opposite side of the booth.

The hunger pains in his stomach had abruptly been replaced by the tickling of butterflies as Ron took his own seat. His arms tingled with goosebumps at the dazzling smirk Kim was still shooting his way. It made him falter for just a second - so much so that he didn't even notice the overly enthusiastic waitress approaching from over his shoulder.

"Good morning! How are we doing today?"

Kim giggled to herself as she spotted Ron jump slightly out of his seat. The young woman with a notepad in her hand and a pen behind her ear had brown hair in a low, messy bun and a kind smile as she looked down at the two members of Team Possible.

"Can I start the pair of you off with some drinks this morning?"

Kim took a quick scan of the menu before glancing back up, "Sounds perfect! I'll take a fresh orange and mango juice," she answered for herself. In the next second, she glimpsed over to Ron, affectionately narrowing her green eyes towards him, "He'll have a large soda."

Almost instantly, Ron's expression dropped. Part of his gentlemanly plan to impress Kim that morning didn't exactly include downing a cup of processed sugar and water the size of his head.

"Uh... I mean, it's kinda' early."

"That's never stopped you before," she snapped back, rolling her eyes teasingly at him.

The waitress chuckled at the two of them, heaving her shoulders in a gentle shrug, "Sounds like the lady knows best."

Ron's next remark came in a matter of milliseconds as he exchanged the expression of adoration with the beautiful redhead across from him.

"She always does."

It was Kim's turn to be distracted by butterflies as she bit down on her bottom lip. The waitress had one more giggle to herself as she took their order down, "One juice and one soda, coming right up."

Their wide orbs were still locked onto one another as Kim sensed a rosy red colour begin to fill her cheeks. Quickly clearing her throat, she reached across for the menu again, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I've never eaten here before," she spoke simply.

Ron's fingers drummed against the table as he nodded his head in agreement, "Me neither," he replied, "Any chance they've somehow created their own version of the naco?"

"Ron," Kim laughed, glaring accusingly at him, "So much for the Beuno Nacho boycott."

"'Sha, a boycott of the establishment, KP, not the food. You know I can't resist the cheesy, Mexican goodness."

Kim shook her head, still chuckling to herself as she stared at him, "You are too much."

The dreamy affection in her voice sent a shiver shooting up Ron's spine as Kim's blush crossed from her to him. Darting his eyes away from hers and down to his own menu, he hastily changed the subject, "My mom filled me in on the sitch with your house. Everything, like, good there, or...?"

"Totally," Kim answered, "Everything's totally good. My dad and his crew from the space station were there bright and early at, like, six this morning to get started on fixing everything up. It should only be another night or two, hopefully."

"Not a fan of your temporary pad?"

Kim shrugged, "It's fine. It's a two-bedroom apartment, so plenty of space. One room for my parents, one for me, and the tweebs have full reign of the living room. Well, as long as they promise not to dismantle the TV for parts."

Her last sentence came with a second roll of her eyes as Kim leaned forward a little and crossed her arms over the table, "It'll just be nice to get home to my own bed, you know?"

"Especially after yesterday," Ron added, suppressing a yawn of his own from how exhausted last night's battle had left him.

Kim grinned sympathetically, "Did you get much sleep last night?"

"Sleep?" Ron echoed.

_Like I was ever gonna' get any shut-eye when all I could think about was you..._

"Oh, yeah, you know me, heh heh. Crashed out like a log as soon as my head hit the pillow."

The blonde sidekick gulped a little as he subtly tried to study Kim's expression. His best friend could always tell when he was lying, and as much as it was one of the things he appreciated about their friendship the most, Ron _really _hoped that now wasn't one of those times.

He felt the breath he had been holding escape with relief from his lungs when the teenage girl carried right along, "Well, hopefully we're in for a few less sleepless nights over the summer now that Drakken is behind bars," she commented, snorting with a small laugh, "Not to mention the wonders it will do for my self-esteem to finally have a break from Shego and her snarky insults."

Naturally, the irresistible wit from Kim sparked a warm fire in Ron's belly as her sarcasm made him chuckle. But in the very next instant, he unexpectedly sensed the flame fizzle out rather quickly. He swallowed, realising something as the freckles around his cheeks creased with a frown.

Hadn't Kim made out like breakfast that morning was going to be the chance to properly talk about everything that happened the night before and where the two currently stood with each other - as friends, or otherwise? And, yes, fair enough, Ron supposed he was just as capable of bringing up that particular topic of conversation himself, but he was still feeling far too nervous. He only figured that Kim would be the one brave enough to steer their casual chatter in the direction where it ultimately need to go. She just sort of... _hadn't _yet.

"I know I shouldn't let her get under my skin so easily, but she's just _so _good at it..."

Had something changed? In the space of ten and a half hours? Or was there some other reason why Kim was yet to bring up their kiss just yet?

"...I mean, not as good as Bonnie, though, obviously. Imagine if I actually managed to avoid Queen B for the whole summer, as well..."

Did she regret it already? Had a night to sleep on it made Kim realise that she never should have deviated from the food chain and kissed someone so beneath her?

"...And _OH, _speaking of Bonnie, you'll never believe what Monique told me happened at the after party last night - you know, the one you and me skipped out on?..."

Was it all just a moment of weakness? Was it never going to happen again? Did Kim not mean anything she told him last night?

"...I guess she really was willing to do anything to win Brick's attention back, so - "

"Did you only kiss me because Eric turned out to be a synthodrone?"

Oh, crap.

Oh, crap, oh, crap, oh, crap.

_Crap._

Ron had _so _not meant to ask that question out loud.

The blonde boy was suddenly resembling an incredibly sickly ghost as he desperately tried to hold down the anxiety ridden puke brewing in his guts.

Kim had immediately screeched into silence, thrown totally off guard by the accusation from her best friend. She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again. And then, Kim's brow scrunched into a deep frown.

"Did _you _only kiss me because you were jealous of Eric?"

Ron paused. That wasn't exactly the response he had been expecting.

"I asked you first."

Kim narrowed her sharp, green eyes, "So, you _were _jellin'?"

"And you _were _bummed that your so-called perfect boyfriend turned out to be a total syntho-freak?"

"Is this you trying to win me over?"

Ron's jaw dropped open. Nice going, Stoppable, he told himself. He scrambled to form some kind of quick defence, but his saving grace suddenly appeared in the form of their returning waitress with a perfectly balanced tray of drinks.

"One orange and mango juice, and one large soda," she spoke with a smile, failing to notice the sudden tension brewing at the teens' table, "Enjoy! I'll be back in just one moment to take the rest of your order."

Kim watched as the petite brunette turned to leave, making sure she was out of ear-shot before focusing her attention back on the boy opposite her.

Ron's heart rate had peaked again at the way Kim was completely deadpanning at him. He almost flinched when the fiery redhead simply reached forward to pull her drink towards her.

And then with a long sigh, Kim finally opened her mouth to finish her last thought.

"Because, to be honest... you kinda' already did."

Ron blinked, his snow coloured cheeks re-filling with a red blush of disbelief.

"I-I did?" he murmured, "When?"

As she slowly stirred the orange coloured juice with her straw, Kim hesitated, "When you had my back - no questions asked - to save my boyfriend who you didn't even like. When you dropped everything and raced over to my house to help me rescue my dad from Drakken."

For the next couple of seconds, Kim paused. She glanced up to mirror Ron's soft, kind eyes with her own. It was clear that his outward anxiety was beginning to affect the atmosphere at their table as the young woman chewed on the inside of her bottom lip before taking a deep breath.

"...When you showed me how focused and determined you were to save Bueno Nacho with the petition you worked so hard on."

"But," Ron stuttered with another unwilling frown, "But that was... _before _Eric."

"Before Eric..." Kim echoed, slowly trailing off.

The bile that built up in the back of her throat every time she spoke her former syntho-fling's name could be heard all too clearly. As much as Ron wanted to try and persuade Kim to reveal what she was really trying to say, he knew his best bet was to keep his lips zipped and allow her to take her time. Especially seeing as he had gotten off so easily after his last slip of the tongue.

When she spotted his supportive, little smirk, Kim returned the affectionate gesture. As she flicked her mass of red locks out of her face, she huffed out one final sigh.

After the guts that Ron had shown the night before to bravely share his true feelings with her, it was only fair that Kim owed him the same favour.

"Who is the one person on this planet who can totally zap me of all my confidence and turn me into an insecure puddle of mush at the bottom of the food chain?"

"Uh, that would be one Bonnie Rockwaller."

Kim cocked a triggered eyebrow, "Not sure I appreciate the immediacy of your answer, but moving on..."

The lick of a flame behind her eyes made Ron chuckle awkwardly to himself as he gulped down a huge swig of his soda and waited for Kim to continue.

After a swaying moment of reluctance, the redhead finally did.

"So, like... prom was coming up, and Bonnie had gotten up on her high horse in that obnoxious way she does about how all the popular jocks and other eligible guys were already taken," she started gently, "Because I was too busy 'saving the world' to look for a date..."

Ron sensed his vision slowly begin to narrow suspiciously as he listened to Kim speak. Her tone sounded off - _way _off to the stern certainty he was used to hearing in her voice. It was almost like she was... just as nervous as he was?

Kim Possible was _nervous_?

"And then she said I was probably going to just end up... stuck... with you..."

Ah, right. There it was.

"And, look, honestly, it kinda' did freak me out at first," she rushed, trying to back-peddle as truthfully as she could, "But only because, like, Bonnie was _so _in my head and she implanted this whole stupid idea there that going to prom with my best friend was somehow this huge deal."

Ron nodded slowly as Kim gathered her next set of thoughts.

"But after talking about everything with my mom that night, and chatting with Monique the next morning, I realised that it actually wasn't a big deal at all, and that you and me were cool, and that us going to prom together didn't matter," she assured him, smiling sweetly, "Like, I still wasn't sure whether that us was going to turn into an '_us_' us or not... only then - "

"That's when Eric showed up?" Ron finished for her.

Kim slouched back in her seat as she uncomfortably folded her arms over her chest with a nod of her own, "He was just so nice, and driven, and charming, and a way for me to prove Bonnie _wrong,_and - "

" - A total hottie?"

The teen hero's chest iced over for a split second as she tried to analyse her sidekick's tone for any trace of sudden insecurity. But when all Ron could do was smirk at her cheekily, Kim scrunched her nose up at him and straightened at the table again.

"A _distraction_," she corrected, her voice melting with softness, "From the feelings I was starting to develop for you."

The methodical sipping of his soda came to sharp halt as Ron's heart began to race out of his chest. She may have held his hand, she may have hugged him close, and she may have even kissed him - but that was the first time Kim had spoken out loud of any true feelings that were brewing within her for Ron. And to hear it now felt absolutely surreal.

"I didn't like him as much as I thought I did, and I didn't like him as much as I was starting to like you," she admitted, "He was just the easier option. Which was so ferociously wrong."

Ron's expression relaxed towards her own, "KP - "

"Ron, I'm sorry."

His brown eyes widened as he held a hand out to stop her, "Kim, you don't have to - "

"Yeah, I do," Kim argued, taking the opportunity to snatch his outstretched hand up in her own, "I almost let some lame, generic upper-member of the dumb food chain come between us. But I am so done with all that, and with letting Bonnie manipulate me, and with caring about what anyone thinks of us."

A spark of electricity raced up Ron's arm when Kim squeezed his hand to punctuate her promise to him.

"Besides, like you were saying, there are guys out there that are better for me than Eric. Guys that are real, for one thing."

Instantly taking the lead from her, Ron sucked in a deep breath. He wasn't going to let any other interruptions or intimidated nerves overshadow what he should have been brave enough to properly admit to Kim the night before.

"Guys like me?"

Her smile was all the assurance he needed as the bright whites of her teeth lit a beacon brighter than the mid-morning sun. It made Ron's chest soar and gave him all the confidence he needed to clutch back at her just as tightly as he went on.

"So, like, does this mean that we're, like... uh, you and me are - "

"_Well,_" Kim cut him off, suddenly yanking her hand away from his. Ron was taken aback for a terrifying two seconds before he realised that the beautiful redhead was standing up from her seat.

When she slowly made her way around the table and placed herself beside him, shuffling into his side of the booth as closely as she could, his cheeks exploded in a crimson blush.

As she plucked at her bottom lip with her teeth, Kim raised a challenging eyebrow towards Ron.

"I don't think it's official until you ask me."

The happiness in his heart was indescribable. If this truly was all a dream, it was one that Ron never, ever wanted to wake up from.

"Kim - will you be my girlfriend?"

Surely it was a given, right?

And yet, as her emerald eyes were clouded with a sultry gaze, and she inched her expression closer to his - Kim still somehow managed to find a way to completely surprise Ron that morning.

Her touch was warm and sent a fire rushing through him where she placed her hand on his thigh, and her lips were soft and sweet where they met his in the heavenly chaste exchange. Ron wrapped his arm around Kim's shoulders and pulled her close for an irresistible moment before she pecked at his kiss once more and slowly pulled away.

When she glanced up at him, Kim blinked, swaying her head to one side.

"Does that answer your question?"

For the first few seconds, Ron was sure that his voice box had vanished on him. But as the blonde boy sensed the swirling of his stomach slow, he realised that it wasn't a matter of him being unable to speak - but rather, it was matter of him being unable to give a certain answer.

In the most adorable, goofball way possible, of course.

"Uh... yeah, no, I kinda' got a lot riding on this, KP, I think I'm gonna' need some verbal confirmation to - "

"_Yes_, doofus," Kim teased, nudging into him with a gentle giggle, "There is no one in the world I would rather be my boyfriend."

The weightlessness of the entire room immediately seemed to lift the two teens up on a cloud of relief as their heads spun with happiness. Ron resisted the urge to pinch himself. The title of 'boyfriend' was not one he realistically saw being placed on himself maybe, well, _ever _\- but to hear it come from Kim after all they had been through together truly made it all the more sweeter.

Totally sweet, and just a little bit unbelievable.

"Wait, so, like... what do couples even do over the summer together, anyway?"

The reassurance from Kim was immediate, "The same things that best friends do. Only with a lot more of this," she flirted with a coy grin, lacing her fingers back together with Ron's and squeezing tightly.

The fast pulsing in his wrist where it sat against hers shot throughout the rest of his body as Ron eased out a gentle sigh. He could _so _get used to this.

"But, hey, um... I mean, I know I probably don't even have to say it, but," Kim started again, tilting Ron's face up to meet hers, "Like... no matter what else we are or we aren't - you and me will always be best friends. Forever."

And in the same way it had the night before when she had stared at him with such adoring intent and kissed him like he was the only one in her universe - time truly stood completely still for Ron.

_...Forever?_

It was literally the only thing he could ever wish for in the whole world.

As the beautifully intimidating thought stayed with him and rumbled in his core, Ron's eyes locked themselves back onto Kim's lips. His breath hitched in the back of his throat. And just as he dared to lean back in for another taste of his new favourite flavour, some busy footsteps from behind him interrupted his eager actions with a familiar giggle.

"Ah, I see you've been playing musical chairs," the waitress jabbed lightly, watching with an amused grin as Ron sprung away in embarrassment from Kim.

As the two young women swapped an understanding glance, the friendly brunette reached back across the table for Kim's drink, "Let me just grab this for you," she said, making a rather obvious point in replacing the tall juice at the teen hero's new seat, "Now - what can I get you two for breakfast this morning?"

It was only when Ron's tummy grumbled out loud under his red jersey that the teenager suddenly remembered how hungry he was. He and Kim exchanged a quick look, their expressions dropping.

Through all the honest chatter and blissful laughter and sweet kisses they had just shared - the young couple _may _have forgotten to actually check over the scrumptious looking breakfast menu that morning.

Their appearances mirrored one another as the pair broke into gentle laughter. This was definitely going to be the greatest summer their friendship had ever seen.

As this thought remained with her, and it filled her soul with more warmth than all the food in the world ever could, Kim dropped her hand from Ron's to clutch at his knee as she turned back to their waitress.

"Can we just have two more minutes?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hi there new readers and friends! :)
> 
> I'm a long-time KP fan, but a first-time KP writer, and I'm super excited to be added this new series of one-shots to my collection of stories.
> 
> A word of warning - I'm not much of an action writer, but I am very much a hopeless romantic. So, if you're looking for all the totally sappy, totally cute, little lost moments that I imagine/hope would have happened between Kim and Ron in season four, then you've definitely come to the right place :)
> 
> I also can't guarantee that all chapters will be 9k words long... so I hope this is a nice start!
> 
> Keen to hear everyone's thoughts! Comments and kudos are always super duper appreciated, so thank you so much in advance!
> 
> Till next time, x.
> 
> *Mature rating for later chapters, FYI.. ;)


	2. So Not... A Secret Anymore

It was totally bizarre how quickly the way he saw her had already changed.

Ron had been blessed with twelve years, one hundred and forty-four months, well over four _thousand_ days of getting to see Kim's face for almost every single one of those days. And yet, in the space of just eleven short hours, he could swear that he was suddenly seeing his childhood best friend through a brand new pair of eyes. Even where she sat right now, still nestled into his side of their breakfast booth with her nose buried in her cellphone, Ron just couldn't help but _stare _at her.

The way she tucked a loose strand of red hair away from her face made his senses tingle. The glistening of her bright, green orbs made goosebumps pop up over his skin. The small smile that sat in the corner of her mouth made his heart beat that little bit faster. And when he propped his elbow up on the table and cradled his face in his hand to admire her just a while longer, that's when he became perhaps a tad _too _distracted by his girlfriend's beauty.

Ron let out an embarrassingly loud yelp as his arm slipped in some soda that had spilt on the table and he clattered his cutlery against his empty plate. Kim looked up from the small screen of her cell with a start, giggling to herself at the rosy, red colour that filled Ron's pale cheeks.

"Heh heh," he chuckled awkwardly, his heart still racing at the teasing way Kim shook her head at him. His total overload of cuteness left her so distracted that Kim's mouth suddenly fell open when she finally realised what she had been doing.

Placing her cellphone back on the table in front of them, she ghosted her hand over Ron's knee, "Sorry - so wasn't meaning to ignore you," she explained, "I was just replying to a text from my mom. She can be _so _impatient sometimes."

"No need for the apologies, KP," Ron assured her, brushing off the thought. A small frown fell into his face, "Impatient about what?"

"About waiting for an update," Kim answered simply.

Still feeling just slightly confused, Ron cleared his throat, "On...?"

"_On_... us?"

Ron instantly felt his heart skip a beat as his expression lit up in glowing happiness.

Oh, yeah - 'us' had definitely become one of his new favourite words.

"You told your mom about us?" he asked in wonderment.

"Well, duh. I was hardly about to make out like I had an amazing night with Eric," Kim said, visibly cringing, "You didn't say anything to your mom?"

"'Rents were already in bed by the time I got home."

"What about this morning?"

"Well... yeah, I mean, I _could've_ said something..." Ron squirmed a little uncomfortably for a moment. He turned slightly in the cafe booth, facing Kim front-on, "But, like... we hadn't exactly spoken properly yet, and even though I had a feeling that last night wasn't gonna' _not _mean anything, I still didn't wanna' speak too soon and, I dunno' - "

Kim could only watch her boyfriend with an adoring smile as he tried to ramble his way out of whatever mess he assumed he had gone and tangled himself in. She could see all too easily where the end of his sentence was trailing off to as she raised a teasing eyebrow and spoke Ron's next two words with him at the exact same time.

"...Jinx anything?"

When he realised what she had just done, Ron gasped under his breath with wide eyes.

"Hey!"

"You owe me a soda," Kim stated, leaning in a little closer as she whispered the command against his lips.

Resisting the urge to close the narrowed gap left between them, Ron somehow managed to slump back in his seat with a simple shake of his head instead. Kim's all too enticing wit had kept the smile glued to his face as he reached into his back pocket for his wallet.

"Or we could just add it to the long list of sodas that, let's be honest, you're probably never gonna' get," he taunted her, watching the middle of her brow crinkle, "And you let me pick up breakfast instead?"

When he beckoned for the bill that their waitress had left at their table just three minutes earlier, Kim felt her expression drop for a split second. And then, her surprised features were replaced with a sweet smile.

"Since when?" she asked with a light giggle, handing him the itemised piece of paper, "Wasn't it only the other week that you were running short on Naco Night fundage?"

"Well, yeah," Ron agreed, leaving behind an extra couple of crisp dollar bills as a nice tip, "But you and me weren't really hanging out as much, so I had some spare time to help Mom with a few extra chores around the house."

As soon as the sentence left his mouth, Ron immediately wanted to chase it down and erase its existence. The teenage boy gasped in a horror moment of realisation, and as he flicked his eyes down to the redhead that sat beside him, Ron felt his heart sink.

The blissful grin had dropped from Kim's face as quickly as her vision had dropped down to her hands where they sat dejectedly crossed on the table. Ron could all but feel the instant guilt that filled her to the brink - and not just because he had suddenly been consumed by the exact same emotion.

"Okay, ew, no - KP, I did not mean for that to sound so spiteish."

Slowly bringing her eyes back up to meet his, Kim scrunched her nose up at Ron with a gentle shrug of her shoulders, "Spiteful."

"Eh, school word."

"Mm, everyday adjective."

"_Whatever _that word is," Ron said, a little exasperated, "It does not describe how I feel about everything over the last couple of weeks, okay? I just wanna' totally move on from everything that happened before last night."

Kim sensed the twinge of sharp regret dissipate from the depths of her belly as she studied the sincerity behind Ron's freckled face.

Whether she completely deserved it or not, Kim knew that Ron had accepted her apology that morning in a heartbeat. She could see it in the way that _he _was the one scrambling to make _her_ feel better right now. Even when he wasn't perfectly smooth and suave, he still made her chest flutter.

"I mean, like, if that's okay. With you."

His renewed tone of concern cut right through Kim's train of thought as she softened her expression towards Ron. She realised exactly what the timid, blonde boy was trying to say - Ron didn't want to forget _everything _that had ever happened between the two of them before last night. Just the parts that were covered in vile, green sytho-goo. And Kim couldn't agree more.

Well, for the most part, anyway.

"Actually, there is one thing that I am so totally _not _okay with," Kim sniped, watching as Ron flinched at the harshness in her voice. But she couldn't keep the facade up for long, and Kim soon found herself beaming at her boyfriend as she reached for his hand, "And that is you thinking you can keep your mom in the dark about us forever!"

Ron could swear he felt the whiplash fly from the base of his neck and throughout the rest of his body as Kim tightened her hand around his and yanked him out of the booth behind her. He almost couldn't hear the sweet giggle that resonated from her - his head was far too clouded by her sudden utterance of the word 'forever' for the second time that morning. But the teenager quickly forced himself to regain his wits about him as Ron took a couple of fast-paced steps to catch up with Kim.

The teen hero shared a quick smile with their waitress as they passed the friendly brunette on their way through the cafe's exit. The same expression immediately fell back onto the boy attached to her hand, "Did you walk this morning?"

"Uh, when I currently have a bajillion ounces of rocket fuel strapped to the back of my scooter?"

Kim laughed at his enthusiasm, "Did you bring my helmet?"

"Duh."

"Then let's jet."

It felt amazing for Ron to be mounting his scooter for the first time since prom without any nerve wracking anxiety weighing him down. His confidence was simply sky-high as he made sure to give Kim's fingertips an affectionate squeeze before revealing the spare helmet he always kept aside for her.

"So, my place?" he asked, passing her the blue head wear.

Kim slid in behind him on the long seat, instantly locking her hands to Ron's hips like a perfectly shaped jigsaw, "You bet."

The sensation almost made him stall the starter motor of his scooter. Not that Ron was in anyway prepared to admit it. The totally enchanted teen subtly cleared his throat, and then with a second tug on the gas, the blue two-wheeler was off and away up the busy Middleton street.

The early summer breeze that danced across the skin of his face as they rode along made Ron ease out a content breath. His mind was wandering with all the warm thoughts and feelings that filled him - so much so, that he didn't even notice when the rocket boosters on the tail of his scooter began to rumble and vibrate and expel a bright orange flame.

"Hey," Kim sniped, playfully swatting him on the shoulder, "No speeding."

Crashing back to Earth and out of his dreamy trance, Ron shot a cheeky side-eye at Kim from under the brim of his helmet, "Then how do you expect me to break my top speed from last night?"

"That was a save the world level emergency, Ron."

"But your dad said he's gonna' totally de-mod this beast before I even get the chance to enjoy it!"

"Mm-hm," Kim hummed over the purring of the suped-up engine, "Probably because he's very much aware of exactly who's planning on _enjoying_ many more long scooter rides with you from now on."

Kim's words landed with an immediate thud in the pit of Ron's stomach. The hinting temptation in her voice and the way she pinched closer at the skin under his red jersey wasn't even enough to distract him as he found himself swallowing in sudden nervousness.

Up until that moment, the young man hadn't even stopped to consider what Kim's father was going to think of their new status as boyfriend and girlfriend - or _any _of their parents, for that matter.

Realistically, Ron knew that he didn't have any serious reason to panic. He could already hear the enthusiastic happiness that he imagined was going to burst with pride from his own parents once they finally heard the news. And judging by the text conversation Kim had been having with Ann only ten minutes earlier, it sounded like the nosy Possible matriarch was just as thrilled.

Meaning, of course, the only egg that Ron truly had left to crack was that of Doctor James Timothy Possible. The very same Doctor James Timothy Possible who was incredibly protective of his only daughter and had terrifyingly easy access to the deepest, darkest black holes situated in the very corners of the known universes.

Awesome.

"Okay," Kim spoke up again, the sweetness in her voice sending Ron's nerves into a tumbling troop of butterflies.

The redhead paused for just another second, glancing over each shoulder. Ron quickly followed suit, surprised to find that all his daydreaming had unknowingly lead himself, Kim and his scooter on the familiar path right towards his house.

The heroic teen duo were slowly cruising down their empty street, and once Kim was sure that there weren't any families or kids or dogs out on a late morning walk, she crept closer to where her boyfriend sat in front of her.

When she shifted her hands up from his hips and settled her grip to wrap around his waist in an affectionate hug, Kim leaned forward and murmured beside Ron's left ear.

"_Now _you can speed."

An excited shiver shot up his spine faster than Ron could even reach for the gas.

The delighted squeal that came from Kim was music to his ears as Ron tore up the middle of the road, swerving gently from side to side every few feet. The sensation of the power seated beneath them was incredible and made each house, tree and lamppost fly by in a blur. Before they both knew it, their short journey came to a sudden halt, and the young couple hit a sharp right as they flew into Ron's driveway.

The blonde boy's heart was racing, and not just because of the adrenaline that was still pumping through him as he cut off his scooter's engine. He felt his girlfriend's hands linger on his back for a split second before she swung one leg over and came to her feet. When she pulled off her helmet and brushed her gorgeous, red locks out of her face, Ron couldn't help but smile at her.

"You think maybe I could get my dad to talk to yours and convince him to let me keep the rockets?"

"Your dad? The statistic driven, number wielding actuary?" Kim asked with a raised eyebrow, "I have a feeling I know whose side he's gonna' be on."

By now, the pair had made it to the Stoppables' front door. And as Ron placed his key in the gold coloured lock and turned the wooden knob, he wasn't quite ready to give up the fight just yet.

"Yeah, okay, but what if - "

"Ronald Stoppable!"

The unmistakable sound of Ron's mother exclaiming her son's full name made both teens jump out of their skin as they snapped their heads up in surprise. The sight they were met with when they entered the family home instantly made a red coloured blush sink into the skin of both their cheeks.

Mrs. Stoppable stood from her place in the living room where Rufus has been pouring her a nice, steaming cup of tea. The tiny, pink rodent murmured out a hushed 'uh oh' as he watched her adjust her glasses on the end of her nose and firmly plant her hands on her hips. And sitting just behind the slim, blonde woman on the couch with a tea cup of her very own was none other Ann Possible.

When Kim's mum held up her hands in defence and mouthed a very long, very obvious _'sorry', _that's when the younger redhead finally realised exactly what was going on. Apparently Ann's attempts to quickly gather gossip on her daughter that morning hadn't been for her own selfish benefit, after all.

Mrs. Stoppable raised an impatient eyebrow at her son, "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Kim brought a gentle hand to her mouth, covering her amused smile and holding down a delighted giggle. She fastened her eyes on her boyfriend, swooning at the way the sweet, blonde goofball had melted into a puddle of anxious mush.

"Uh..."

He was so adorable.

"Actually, Mrs. S.," Kim suddenly announced.

When she took a step forward and laced her hand together with his, Kim smiled into the instant sense of calm that settled with the expression of pure bliss on Ron's face. He couldn't even begin to imagine how the heck he ever got so lucky.

Leaning into his side with an oh-so flirtatious nudge, Kim squeezed Ron's hand as she spoke up once more,

"We _both _have something we'd like to tell you."

* * *

The first full day of their new relationship had simply flown by far too quickly.

The twinkling stars in the nighttime sky lit the footpath ahead of them as Kim and Ron strolled along side by side, brushing up against each other every few paces. The pair had almost made it back to the hotel where the Possibles were temporarily staying while the final repairs to their house were being made. It was getting close to Kim's ten o'clock curfew, but she and Ron had opted to take the walk across town together rather than ride on his scooter.

After all, they couldn't possibly say no to an excuse to spend some extra time together.

"Thanks for walking me home - well, walking me _back_," Kim offered with a grateful sweetness, "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Mind? 'Sha, of course not. I mean, don't get me wrong - the Ronman is all about you moving back next door as soon as humanly possible," Ron confessed, trailing off for a second as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Like, if you're not already sick of my boyfriendness after just one day, obviously."

Kim could hear the playful sarcasm in his voice as she shook her head at him, "_Obviously _not," she quipped, taking a step forward to latch her hand around his, "Maybe touch base with me on that one again around August, though. We've still got a whole summer ahead of us, after all."

"Ha ha," Ron spat, clutching his girlfriend's fingers between his with each cynical laugh. He spied the smirk sitting in the corner of her mouth as the two continued to walk along in comfortable silence.

Both of their heads were absolutely whirling - about nothing and everything all at once. It was so easy to get totally lost in a quiet muse, especially when all they could think about was each other, and Kim and Ron were both discovering this all too quickly as the warmth from their touch sizzled between their palms and shot all the way up their arms.

And to think they still had a whole summer left to experience this feeling? Plus who knew how much longer after that?

The idea of it all made them shiver with excitement.

"So, agenda tomorrow?"

Kim hummed in hesitation as the two rounded the final corner before reaching the tall apartment block of hotel rooms.

"I'm thinking sleep in, sunshine, maybe ice cream date and a movie?"

"...And Bueno Nacho?"

"Aw," Kim cooed, not missing a single beat, "Your protest over the evil corporation actually lasted an entire day! Super proud of you."

Ron rolled his eyes at Kim's relentless teasing. He dropped one hand from hers as they stopped in the apartment's driveway, but kept her other nice and close when they scraped around in a circle to face each other.

"Hey, come on, now, you know I'm not one to hold a grudge," he argued cheekily, "And who knows what one day without their best customer has done to BN's gross profit! Haven't we both suffered enough by now?"

Staring up at him through narrowed eyes as she desperately held down a giggle at his silliness, Kim chewed down on the inside of her cheek, "I'm sure we can squeeze some cheesy, Naco-y goodness into our schedule."

"Mm, cheese!" Rufus exclaimed in agreement as he sprung from Ron's pocket.

"See! Rufus forgives them too."

Kim smiled down at the smallest and pinkest member of Team Possible, "It will be nice to just sit back and relax for a week or two," she sighed, "But I have promised the squad we'll get together a few times over the next couple of months to stay fit for next cheer season. And you know I always like to get a head start on all of Barkin's summer readings. Plus we'll have to keep our ears open in case Wade beeps with any villain drama."

Ron was in total disbelief as he listened to Kim rattle off her long list of summer chores with a small shake of his head. She genuinely blew him away sometimes. Even in the moments where she had well and truly earned the opportunity to stop and take a breath, Kim absolutely refused to move any less than a million miles an hour at all times. Her irresistible drive and determination left Ron completely spellbound.

"Oh, and the visits I've planned with the kids at Mom's hospital, and - "

He couldn't stand it for a second longer. Ron's knees were weak as he leaned in and cut Kim off with a timidly light kiss. The surprising sensation of his lips against hers made Kim jump at first, but soon enough, the gorgeous redhead closed her green eyes and returned the chaste peck. A lyrical 'aw' sang out from Ron's pocket as Rufus watched when Kim took a step back from her boyfriend and stared up at him curiously.

The blonde boy grinned through an awkward blush, "S-sorry," he stuttered, "I just still kinda' can't believe I get to do that whenever I want," he admitted, his eyes suddenly widening, "Well, like, obviously I don't mean _whenever _whenever, b-because, like, just because I'm your boyfriend and you're my girlfriend it doesn't mean that you have to kiss me when I say so, I just, uh - "

"Ron," Kim laughed, placing a delicate finger over his lips, "I think '_whenever_' works for me."

The anticipation was overwhelming.

Rufus' admiration quickly turned to a sick feeling in his tiny tummy as he dived back into Ron's khaki pants when Kim leaned up to him again.

Her lips were warm and soft and neutralised the chill that raced up his spine when she placed her hand on his back. Ron breathed out through his nose, drawing himself closer to Kim as their mouths moved together as one and he lost himself in the unbelievable taste of her kiss.

Just as he dared to part his lips a little wider and shuffle towards her a little further, Kim and Ron were suddenly bathed in a pair of glowing, yellow lights. The two of them quickly darted apart, blinking at the sudden brightness for a second before Kim realised who the headlights on the familiar car belonged to.

Ron gulped, "Is that - "

"It's my dad."

The three words came from Kim with zero urgency whatsoever, and somehow, it only made Ron feel all the more anxious.

Ron had known Mr. Dr. P. for a long time. For almost his whole life, in fact - since he had been just four years old. But because of that, the teenager knew exactly how protective the older man was of his entire family. Especially his only daughter.

James had quickly been made aware of everything that had happened between Kim and Eric the night before at junior prom. But before his head was even given the chance to stop spinning, it was then that he also learned about his daughter's _new _boyfriend.

To say he was surprised was a massive understatement. As much as James may have pretended to ignore the fact that she had a serious interest in boys, he knew that his Kimmie had a type. And that type was normally taller, smarter, and more than charming than one Ron Stoppable.

But was that necessarily a bad thing? James hadn't decided just yet.

The doctor eyed the two kids as he climbed out of his car, utterly exhausted from the day spent with his team working on his partially destroyed home. Kim smiled at her dad, still cool as a cucumber.

"Long day, Dad?"

James returned the loving smirk from his daughter as he dragged himself up the complex's driveway, a paper grocery bag nestled under his arm, "Hard work pays off, Kimmie-Cub. If all goes to plan, we'll be back home in our own beds tomorrow night."

Allowing his anxiety to slip for a split second, Ron couldn't help but grin at the sound of this. He and Kim were only coming into their second night of not having their bedroom windows placed opposite each other, and it was already driving him crazy.

The flicker of happiness in his chocolate coloured eyes, though, did not go amiss on James.

As much as his first instinct may have told him to caution the teenager and threaten him with what might happen if he ever took a misstep with his baby girl - for some reason, Ron's expression had only made the stiffness in James' stance completely soften.

The doctor stubbornly allowed the thought to sit with him for a moment. Whatever else the two of them may have been, James knew that above all else, Kim and Ron were best friends. And anyone with even half an I.Q. point could see how deeply he cared for her.

Taking just one more second to adjust the paper bag under his arm, Doctor Possible cleared his throat, "But, uh, yes - that wouldn't be the case if it weren't for all your help, as well," he said, focusing his gaze on the young man standing beside his daughter, "Both of you."

The three, simple syllables sent a feeling of sudden relief rushing through Ron as he eased out a gentle breath. It was certainly a different sensation to what he had felt earlier that afternoon when Kim had volunteered both of their help to her dad and his crew. Luckily, the clumsy teen hadn't been given too many opportunities to embarrass himself - James and his team had only really needed a little extra muscle when it came to clearing the rubble and debris.

Though, of course, Ron's allocated workload had been an awfully lot bigger than Kim's.

Was the whole thing some calculated, protective, fatherly test of his manhood? Probably. But between the sweet words - and occasional kisses on the cheek - of encouragement from Kim, Ron had been able to push his strength to the absolute limit and break enough hard-working sweat to fill an entire dam. Every single one of his muscles, tendons and bones were certain to be sore the next morning, but it had all been totally worth it.

Kim was totally worth it.

"Heh, ain't no thang, Mr. Dr. P," Ron offered with a shrug, "Anything for my favourite family."

James nodded just once, watching carefully as Kim melted at Ron's words and swayed playfully into his side. The image struck him rather curiously as the doctor's heart skipped a beat of realisation. James was almost positive that he had never seen a smile on Kim like the one that was currently gracing her face.

The happiness sure did look good on her.

"Well, after such a productive day, I figured we'd earned ourselves a small reward. Choc-chip cookie dough ice cream," he said, gesturing to the brown paper bag as he took a step past the two teens. After a moment of hesitation, he looked back over his shoulder, "Care to join us, Ronald?"

He almost wanted to wince away, only assuming the tone of James' '_Ronald_' meant he was suddenly in trouble for some reason or another. But when he finally paused for half a second and actually processed what Kim's father had just asked him - Ron's features lit up like a Christmas tree. The only appearance brighter than his own, was that of his girlfriend's.

"Uh, y-yeah, sure! Thanks, Dr. P.," he spat a little too quickly, freezing with a frown as he hurried to check his watch, "But, um, I mean, it is almost ten and - "

"Nonsense - I'm sure Mrs. Dr. P. won't mind driving you back home," the older man spoke with a sly smirk, "And if not, well, it's just an excuse for me to swing back by the store for more ice cream, hm?"

As he took the apartment's swipe card from his pocket and held it against the main entrance to the complex, James stole one last second to shoot an affectionate wink at Kim. The teen hero felt her heart smile.

Kim knew that James wasn't ever thrilled to properly acknowledge her dating life - because he only wanted the very best for her, of course. But even though the redhead also knew that Ron _was _what was best for her, it didn't mean that she had to expect her dad to see that right away, too.

The fact that James was trying was all that Kim really needed - for now, at least.

"Hey, wait, we can still get ice cream tomorrow, too, right?"

As the sweet sounds of typical childlike wonder echoed behind her from Ron, Kim glanced back around to face him. With a roll of her green eyes, she simply reached for her boyfriend's hand.

"If you don't make yourself sick before then, sure," she snickered, "Come on, goofball."

Mimicking her contagious laughter, Ron obediently tailed Kim where she followed James through the front door. The chilled breeze from the ceiling-high air conditioning hit his face in an instant, but it did nothing to cool the heat that Ron felt from having Kim's grip in his.

No amount of ice cream in the world was sweeter than this.

Man, the two of them couldn't wait until they got to kiss goodbye again that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, and we're picking up right where we left off! :)
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone who read and commented on my first chapter. I'm really enjoying putting all my energy into these little one shots, and I'm super excited to jump a bit further in time with what I'm planning to post next... ;)
> 
> Please feel free to leave me a review and let me know what you think! I really appreciate it :)
> 
> Till next time, x.


	3. So Not... A Flash in the Pan

**Ron, 9:16am  
** _Good morning beautiful :)_

**Ron, 9:32am  
** _KP?_

**Ron, 9:43am  
** _Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim_

Kim slowly shook her head back and forth, rubbing the sleep from her weary, green eyes. The bright, mid-morning sun was shining in through the window above her desk as she lay snuggled beneath the blankets in her bed. She couldn't help but smile through the yawn that rumbled from her chest as she ran a reply over the keys of her cellphone.

**KP, 9:45am  
** _I'm sorry do you have a problem with me sleeping in on the last weekend of summer?_

She watched as the text message vanished from her outbox and zoomed off on its short trip to where Ron was probably lounging around in his own room directly opposite hers. Kim signed happily as she snapped her flip phone shut, rolling over onto her side and wrapping her arms around one of her pillows.

Just as she began to feel the sweet sensation of sleep quickly creeping back up on her, the teenage girl's expression widened in surprise at the sudden sound of her ringtone. Her small phone buzzed erratically in her hand, and as she flipped it back open to check the caller I.D., Kim could only roll her eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes?" she mumbled sleepily as she answered the phone.

"Uh, yeah, _hi _\- you literally just said it yourself! Last. Weekend. Of. Summer," Ron spelled out for her through the receiver, "Now is not the time to be lazing around, KP. We need to be out, enjoying the fresh air and the sunshine before we get locked away for one final, long, dark, depressing year of high school."

Kim stifled another yawn. It was way too early in the morning for this soap opera level of drama.

Without wanting to encourage whatever end of summer breakdown he was clearly going through, Kim remained silent for a moment. She pushed a hand back through her knotted, red hair with a frown. But as she licked her bottom lip to finally speak, Ron's rambling only continued.

"Plus I am _starving_, Kim, starving!"

"Mm, food, food!"

Kim was powerless as her tired pout upturned into a soft grin. Ron's endearing neediness and the excited squeaks from Rufus made the features of her face brighten with a shimmering happiness. _That _was the boyfriend she knew and adored.

"Ten-thirty?" she asked, eventually giving in as she double checked the time on her phone.

"Ten-thirty on the dot! I'll cya' at your place," Ron exclaimed, before adding warmly, "Can't wait."

Kim scoffed teasingly under her breath, "I sure can, if it means more time to sleep..."

"_Kim _\- "

" - _Kidding_!" she promised him with a small laugh, "Totally kidding. I'll cya' in a few."

"Till then, m'lady."

Kim felt her heart thump in time with Ron hanging up the phone. She stared at the small device in her hand for a short second before slumping back onto her side. When her eyes landed on the framed photo of the two of them from junior prom that sat on her bedside table, the pitter-patter of Kim's chest only began to increase in speed.

There was absolutely no doubt - this had been Kim and Ron's most amazing summer ever.

Her bedroom wasn't particularly chilly, but a shiver ran up her spine all the same at the unwelcome sensation of Kim's covers peeling away from her. Her toes sunk into the soft carpet of the floor as she breathed out contentedly and padded over to her closet. The redhead only hesitated for a second before she opened her drawers for a pair of shorts and reached for one of her favourite tops.

When the shirt fell from the clothes hanger and the empty space revealed the touch pad to the secret compartment in the back of her wardrobe, Kim sensed a grateful warmth overtake her body.

The villain drama since the Diablo incident had been minimal, thank goodness - but still, Kim couldn't wait for the chance to give her blue and white armour another test run. Although, for right now, she definitely had a much more important commitment to attend to.

The young woman descended the stairs from her loft with a skip in her step as she slipped into the bathroom to indulge in a quick shower and brush her teeth. Jim and Tim had their eyes glued to the television and were mashing away at the buttons on their video game controllers when Kim walked through the living room to the kitchen a little while later. And just as she suspected, both of her parents were placed in their regular seats at the table as she finally made her arrival.

"Morning," Kim greeted brightly.

"Good morning, Kimmie-Cub," James responded from behind his morning newspaper.

Ann stood from her chair at the sound of the kettle coming to a full boil, stopping to give her daughter a kiss, "Morning, sweetie."

"We weren't expecting to see you for at least another hour," James jabbed lightly.

"You know Ron. Patience was never exactly his forte," Kim replied with a gentle roll of her eyes, "Having my boyfriend live right next door is definitely making regular sleep-ins less and less of an option."

"Oh, honey," Ann cooed, stirring her cup of tea, "I think it's sweet that he wants to spend as much time with you as he can before you both go back to school."

"Well, duh," Kim agreed, a soft blush settling into her cheeks, "But it's not like anything's gonna' change between us once school does start again."

This thought alone made a faint coat of goosebumps pop up over the skin of Kim's arms. Knowing that she was diving into her senior year of high school head first with Ron right by her side made any trivial fears or concerns brewing within her completely melt away.

As she reached for a glass from the cupboard above the sink, Kim stole another quick look at her cellphone. It was only just after ten-fifteen, but now that she was awake and refreshed, Kim's own patience was quickly starting to wane.

**KP, 10:17am  
** _Ready when you are :)_

"So, what are the big weekend plans?"

Kim didn't even hear the question from her mother. As she took slow, little sips from her glass of water, the teen's wide, green eyes were glued to her phone as she re-read the first message her boyfriend had texted her that morning over and over again.

_Good morning beautiful :)_

The three simple words sent her heart into a spin. Ron made Kim feel like an angel. And it was a feeling she was quickly finding it hard to imagine ever living without.

"Kimmie?"

As James' curious tone sliced right through the middle of her daydream, Kim jumped just slightly and whipped her neck back around to face her parents.

"Oh! Uh, sorry," she murmured, throwing back the last of her water, "Um, weekend plans - I dunno', my guess would be Bueno Nacho. And then come back here to watch a couple of movies. Or maybe his place. Who knows?"

The two older Possibles shared a subtle glance with one another as they watched their daughter place her glass in the sink. Taking a small second to hesitate, Ann gently cleared her throat.

"You don't sound exactly thrilled about it, honey."

For the first moment, a frown fell into the crease between her eyebrows. But when Kim abruptly realised how she had just sounded, she quickly shook her head.

"Oh, no. I mean, no, spending time with Ron is literally my favourite thing in the world. Like, we could go dumpster diving for our lunch and I would be happy because I was with him," she countered in an instant. Just as she opened her mouth to speak again, Kim's chest skipped a sudden beat as she spotted a familiar tuft of blonde hair passing through the yard beside the kitchen window.

Her smile broadened as she scurried towards the backdoor, still talking back over her shoulder to her parents as she did, "I'm just saying, we've kinda' been doing the Bueno Nacho thing, like, at least three times a week all summer. And, I dunno', it just might be nice to do something different and fun and - "

The very second that she pulled open the door, Kim's sentence trailed off to a sudden halt. She fell to silence at the sight in front of her, frozen for a moment before she gestured towards her boyfriend with a tilt of her head.

" - Is that a picnic basket?"

The proud smirk on Ron's face was far too bright to hide.

"Yep! Ah, well, technically... no, it's a sewing basket. My mom uses it for all her craft stuff," he stumbled with a small laugh, "But I figured it was the perfect substitute to soak in some rays and enjoy some light snackage down by Middleton Lake with my favourite lady."

Ann watched on from the kitchen, smiling at the look of speechlessness on her daughter's face. The older woman felt a soft giggle tickling the back of her throat as Kim's quiet sent a nervous crimson colour sweeping across Ron's cheeks.

"Uh... do you like it?"

Kim wanted to speak. She swallowed a lump in her throat, trying again and again. But her heart was racing so fast that it had left her completely breathless.

_When _exactly had Ron decided to jump ship from simple, sweet and considerate to a full-blown, total romantic?

Without sparing another moment, Kim darted through the door, leaning up on her toes and capturing Ron's mouth in a quick, appreciative kiss.

"It's perfect," she breathed out against his lips as her feet fell back to the ground.

The motion left Ron feeling giddy, but luckily, the sensation of Kim slipping her hand into his was more than enough to keep him upright. The teenage girl was quick to poke her head back around the corner and into the kitchen, her grin still beaming from ear to ear.

"Bye Mom, bye Dad!"

"Adios, Doctors P.!"

Ann waved happily from her place by the door as she closed it behind them, "Bye, kids! Have fun!"

"Mm," James grumbled as he flicked over to the next page in his paper, "Just not too much f-"

" - _James_," Ann cut him off sharply, making her way back to the table, "You can play the part of the tough guy all you like, but I know deep down you love seeing someone make your princess so happy."

"Exactly," he instantly agreed, "_My _princess."

With a roll of her eyes, Ann reached over the table and snatched the last piece of toast off her husband's plate, "Whatever you say, dear."

James immediately went to protest, but after twenty years of marriage, the rocket scientist was more than smart enough to know when to humbly back down and give his wife the upper hand.

Despite all her teasing of him, Ann's touch was comforting all the same as she brushed her fingertips against his arm when he stood from the table and walked by. James paused for a moment, pressing a soft kiss to Ann's temple before continuing out of his family's kitchen and into the living room.

Shooting an ever-suspicious side-eye at the twins where they were still comfortably placed in front of the television, James scratched the back of his neck before subtly peering through the window by the front door.

Kim and Ron had made it passed the house by now, but they weren't completely out of sight just yet. Her father continued to simply observe them from afar. This wasn't unusual for him - James had spent the entire summer watching his daughter and her best-friend-turned-boyfriend frolic all over Middleton together. And while he still wasn't quite used to it just yet, even James had to admit that their affections towards one another were slowly becoming a much easier pill to swallow.

The doctor remained where he was for a moment, thinking over what his wife had spoken to him just mere seconds ago. About seeing someone make his daughter happy. She certainly did look just that.

As James watched when Ron let go of her hand to drape his arm around her shoulders instead, Kim instantly returned the gesture with her own arm snugly around his torso.

There really was no doubt about it. Kim was _so _happy.

And beneath his stone-cold exterior, James felt himself smile.

* * *

The late-summer sun beating down on Kim's face made her ease out a long breath. The air passing through her nose echoed a soft whistling sound that mimicked the wind rustling the lush grass beneath her head. She stretched her arms up where she lay, groaning out a silent yawn as her t-shirt rode up and the cool breeze danced across her exposed tummy.

For a moment, she had lost herself in such a deep daydream that Kim almost jumped when she felt a second tickling sensation brush against the side of her face.

Peeking open one emerald eye, Kim squinted from the sun before her expression softened on Ron where he sat above her.

"You had hair," he spoke, tucking a couple of loose, red strands behind her ear, "On your face."

Her cheeks instantly exploded in a smiley blush.

"Thanks," Kim replied, sitting up and shuffling a little closer towards her boyfriend.

Ron sure had gone all out for a simple lakeside picnic. He and Kim were well and truly stuffed with little sandwiches, quiches, and enough cakes, tarts and sweet treats to stock an entire bakery. Not to mention an entire wheel of cheese that Rufus had managed to chow his way through.

Leaving just enough room for one more drink of his delicious homemade lemonade, Kim reached forward for her and Ron's empty, red cups.

"This has all been super sweet, Ron."

His heart skipped a beat at the happiness in her voice as Ron simply shrugged his shoulders, "Eh, it ain't no thang, KP."

"'Ain't no thang'?" she challenged, "Just how much time did you spend baking and preparing everything?"

"Just a couple of hours," Ron spat defensively, causing his tiny, pink pet to squeak and snarl at his white lie, "...Or, ya' know, _days_, but - "

"_Ron - "_

_"But,_ all of that was totally worth it to be able to spend a nice morning together, right?"

Kim subtly rolled her eyes as she finished pouring the two cold drinks with a small smirk, "It is the perfect way to celebrate the end of summer."

"I'll cheers to that!" Ron exclaimed, eagerly holding his cup out to clink together with Kim's.

There was less than a centimetre left between their two drinks when Kim leaned forward to close the gap. But before she could quite could, the redhead faltered slightly when her boyfriend suddenly dropped his hand away.

"But also, um," Ron began, seeming to hesitate for a second. He locked his eyes onto Kim's, staring past the tiny frown in her forehead as he beamed at her, "To almost three months of dating?"

The sentient made Kim's stomach flip. Her jaw dropped open with another blush and she quickly nodded her head in agreement.

"Oh, yeah," she echoed him sweetly, "Especially to that."

Ron popped open one sneaky, brown orb, keeping it closely on Kim while they sipped up the last of their drinks. He could barely believe that it really had been almost three months since that magical night at junior prom. The only thing that was harder to comprehend was why he hadn't been brave enough to take the romantic plunge even sooner than he had.

Though, of course, each of those irrelevant 'what if's' would only mean that Ron and Kim wouldn't be exactly where they were right now.

"Okay - I am now officially on your long, dark and depressing bandwagon," Kim snorted, crossing her arms behind her head as she collapsed back into the grass, "Three months of swimming and sunshine and now we're somehow expected to stroll right back into the halls of Middleton High like this wasn't the most badical summer ever?"

Ron chuckled under his breath at the familiar sound of his own vocab slipping into Kim's speech, "Hey, plus side, though," he sang hopefully, "All the perks that come with being a senior might turn out to be worth it!"

For a short second, Kim chewed down on the inside of her mouth, "As long as too much doesn't change too quickly. I will take one new cheer uniform - "

"_And _the lunch menu at the seniors table!"

"Mm, more food!"

" - But everything else can stay exactly the same, please and thank you," Kim concluded, smiling at Rufus and bumping her knee into Ron's with a flirtatious giggle, "Talented chef boyfriend included."

Holding her hand up to block the sun from her vision, Kim glanced over at Ron to shoot him a coy grin. But when she wasn't met with the cheesy, bashful expression she was expecting, Kim felt her chest deflate.

"Ron?"

"Mm?"

"What is it?"

There was a beat of silence. And then, a shallow breath from Ron.

"N-Nah, it's nothing, KP, everything's totally - "

"Ron," she warned him sharply, springing forward as she sat back up.

The tone in her voice was not one to be messed with. As much as Ron may have been tempted to mull over his response for even a second longer, the dangerous curl of his girlfriend's bottom lip quickly told him otherwise.

"I dunno'," he whined, running a half-embarrassed hand down his face, "It's just... last year of school, crazy high expectations... new relationships..."

A second sigh escaped him as the tightness in Kim's appearance collapsed into a soft, understanding smile.

"I mean, all our time lately has been spent with our families, and Wade, and Monique, and people who we _know _are happy for us - how are we supposed to know what the reaction at school will be when - "

" - The reaction seemed to be a pretty positive one when we walked through the doors at prom?"

"I know, I know, I just..." Ron groaned, refusing to feed in to his girlfriend's obvious logic. As his shoulders slumped down with heavy dejection, the tip of his chin was suddenly caught by Kim's hand as she gently tilted his head back up.

"Hey, it's okay, I get it. Did you not just hear my ferociously stubborn spiel about not wanting anything to change?" she asked with a laugh.

Ron offered a weak smile in return, but somehow, the blonde boy was still uncertain, "I just... almost, sorta' wonder how many people have been sitting around all summer, ya' know... waiting for you to come to your senses."

There was a plummeting pause in their conversation - but before his irrational thought could catch a breath and come completely to life, Ron flinched in slight surprise. He jumped when Kim's touch fell from his face and she immediately reached down to squeeze his hand.

"Do _not _go forgetting what I told you three months ago, Ron Stoppable," she began sternly, "I don't care about anyone's opinion that isn't yours or mine. I meant that then, and I mean it now and forever."

Each word of her tender promise to him was silkier than the last. Ron's stomach rumbled - whether it was butterflies or simply the after effects of how much food he had just eaten, he wasn't sure. But one thing he was sure of was that Ron believed Kim, and he trusted her wholeheartedly. Even if his own subtle doubts still lingered...

"And it is of my opinion," Kim went on, cutting off his train of thought, "That this date has been filled with far too much talking, and not nearly enough lip locking."

Instantly, Ron's mind went blank, his adorably large ears turning bright red. Part of him wasn't really sure if his mind had been properly put at ease just yet - but a much larger part of him could never quite resist the irresistible urge of Kim Possible's kisses. And the all too tempted look on his face immediately gave all that away.

"Uh oh," Rufus spoke with a nervous hiccup, diving for shelter in his human's pocket.

Ron barely even noticed his little buddy's sudden scampering, "Can't argue with that," he just managed to murmur to the gorgeous girl inching her way closer to him.

Ron took his time returning the favour, slowly leaning down towards Kim. He could almost taste the red-hot anticipation on her lips. But just before the totally smitten teen could indulge in his absolute favourite taste, the young couple suddenly recoiled from one another and jumped apart when the kimmunicator broke the silence and beeped out loud.

Ron instantly felt the colour drain from his face, huffing in disappointment, "Aww, man..."

The feeling was definitely mutual - only, Kim was a lot better at hiding it than Ron was. Giggling at him sweetly, and subduing both of their serious yearnings for now with a tiny peck on the lips instead, Kim made the rigid shift into mission mode as she answered the call from the fourth and final member of their team.

"Go, Wade."

"Sorry to interrupt your last days of freedom, guys," the young tech whizz apologised, "But it's Dementor - reports are hitting the site that he's just managed to heist an ultra sonic drill."

"A drill?"

"_Ultra sonic _drill. Doesn't exactly sound like a picnic," Ron chimed in, watching Kim roll her eyes at the painfully obvious pun, "Sounds more like a battle suit level sitch?"

There was an excited spark in Kim's expression as she shot her smile from Ron back to Wade, "Do I have time for a quick costume change, Wade?"

"Your ride will be at your place in ten minutes - fifteen, tops."

"Spankin'," the teen hero exclaimed, leaping to her feet. Ron was quick to join her, having scrambled to clean up every last scrap of their lunch. "The only question we have now," Kim went on, "Is this ultra-whatever-drill for take over the world purposes, or as an access point to hit a bigger target?"

"How are we supposed to figure it all out?" Ron asked, "It's not like dude just left his to-do list lying around."

Before Kim had the chance to shake her head and snap at the unhelpful comment from her boyfriend, a small chuckle rolled off the end of Wade's tongue.

There was nothing like an already half-solved mission to start the new school year.

"Well, actually..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there friends and followers, I am back!
> 
> Huge apologies for taking so long to upload a new instalment - especially when I've been working on something on the shorter side. I actually just got married and came back from my honeymoon... turns out those things can take up quite a bit if your time, who knew! :)
> 
> Also, I know - two sort of filler chapters in a row. I've just always been kind of fascinated with the fact that Kim and Ron had been together for three whole months since the movie until we got to see them again at the start of S4, and definitely thought it was worth exploring and putting into words on some level.
> 
> Just so I don't leave you wondering - the next chapter I'm planning will be a quick snapshot of the moments following Ill-Suited. But THEN, we will finally make way for some longer, totally original content. Things may or may not be about to get a tiny bit steamy up in here ;)
> 
> As always, I love hearing what you all think! Any kudos and comments are super appreciated :)
> 
> Till next time, x.


	4. So Not... An Ill-Suitor

There was nothing about this particular sitch that was wildly unfamiliar to Kim.

As long as there was bad guys to be busted, Kim Possible would always be there to thwart their evil plots. Her efforts never went unnoticed - it was the reason that each member of the Middleton police department was so familiar with _her_.

"You think you can stop me, Fraulein Possible?! No-vun can stop me! Your self-healing, springing in the step battle suit vill be _mine_!"

Then there was the villains' maniacal calls of sworn vengeance. Kim was certainly familiar with those by now. If every bad guy who ever threatened her existence stuck to their word, the teen hero would have been toast a thousand times over by now.

As Professor Dementor sucked in a long breath and was surely about to reignite his defeated ramblings, the foiled super villain was suddenly cut off when the door to the police paddy wagon slammed shut in his face.

A tall, female police officer with broad shoulders and a long, dark ponytail smiled at Kim with a shake of her head.

"I believe this belongs to you?" she asked, presenting Kim with her retrieved battle suit.

Kim grinned with gratitude at the older woman as she took her suit and slung it over her shoulder, "Thanks, Melinda."

Senior Constable Melinda Harris had been just a beat cop when Kim took on her first mission almost four years ago. In that time, the officer had definitely processed her fair share of the redhead's nemeses - but she had also been gifted the opportunity to watch Kim grow into the successful young adult that she was slowly becoming. Her, and her goofy sidekick, of course.

"Uh, did Ronnie lose his pants again?"

At the sound of her boyfriend's name, Kim forced down an annoyed grimace.

A small sigh escaped her lips as Kim glanced around to lay her eyes on Ron. The blonde boy was sitting on top of one of the outdoor picnic-style tables of Bueno Nacho, wrapped in a fire blanket that Ned had lent him from under the counter. He nervously twiddled his thumbs together, waiting for Kim to finish giving her statement to the police.

When she only grumbled in response and didn't exactly answer the question from Constable Harris, Kim felt the brunette place a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'll handle Dementor from here, you just go handle your boy."

With a subtle roll of her eyes, Kim nodded her head all the same, "Thanks. Again."

"Thank _you_, superstar."

Tilting her head down, Kim simply brushed her hair out of her face and spun around on the spot without saying another word. As she took a step forward, she looked up to stare at Ron again. There was another sight that was certainly familiar to her.

Once again, Ron had ended a battle with a bad guy in pants-less victory, and once again, he was clumsily using anything at his disposal to cover up whatever modesty he had left. All of that was a given. In fact, the one and only aspect of her entire evening that Kim was finding totally _unfamiliar_ \- was just how tweaked she was at her boyfriend.

Kim huffed out in irritation. It really had left her heartbroken to hear how Ron had been so worried about losing her that week - but once the dust had settled and Dementor was defeated and they were both safe and sound, that's when the gravity of everything he had done that night truly began to sink in. And now, Ron had some serious grovelling to do.

Her sidekick straightened up where he was slumped in a heap that second that he noticed Kim marching towards him. As he tightened the fire proof blanket over his bare shoulders, Ron gulped.

"Hey, so, um," he stuttered, "Okay, look, I know I totally, _totally _don't deserve it, but... ya' know, seeing as _my _clothes were kinda' torn to shreds by Dementor, I was sorta' wondering if you'd mind if I, um..."

As her frown deepened with every bumbling sound he made, Kim's eyes quickly widened in realisation as Ron extended one, brave finger towards her battle suit.

Oh, the _audacity._

Ron almost flinched when Kim ripped her suit from off her shoulder and stiffly held it out towards him.

"Just make it quick."

Her sharp tone made him shrivel right down within himself. Without giving her the chance to change her mind, Ron shakily came to his feet and took the indestructible armour from his girlfriend. As quickly as he had, Kim immediately turned on her heels and made a heated start towards his scooter to wait for him.

Ron felt his shoulders slump down with a twinging pang of regret. Poking his head out from where he had been snuggled beneath the blanket around his human's torso, Rufus made one uncertain squeaking sound as he raised an eyebrow at Ron.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to look at me like that," he argued, his words trailing off with a heavy sigh, "I know I messed up..."

"Hck! Yup."

The weight of everything he had done that evening was crushing Ron a little more and more with every step he took. No matter what he tried, he couldn't get those three brutal words out of his head. Liar. Cheater. Thief.

Kim was right. Ron had lied about everything being okay, he had cheated his way into the Middleton quarterback position, and he had straight up stolen from his girlfriend.

The teenager swallowed a harsh lump in his throat. As he walked back through the busted doors of Bueno Nacho (that was _twice _in three months his beloved hangout would be needing repairs!), Ron handed his temporary cape back to Ned and uncomfortably wriggled into the battle suit. It certainly pinched a little harder than it had twenty minutes ago.

Kim already had her helmet on and was impatiently tapping her foot when Ron eventually joined her by his scooter. With a deep breath and a forced smile, the blonde boy licked his bottom lip to speak.

"So, I know we didn't exactly get to finish dinner, did you want to- oof!"

Despite what he thought was a safe and apologetic offering of a second meal, Ron was abruptly cut off by Kim shoving his own helmet into his stomach.

"No food. Home. Now."

Okay, Ron told himself, everything about this officially tanked.

Their scooter ride through the empty Middleton streets was just as cold as it was quiet. But it wasn't the temperature that was shooting an icy shiver up Ron's spine - after all, their summer vacation had only just ended. No; the rush of cold that filled him was a direct cause of the noticeable absence of Kim's tender hug from around his waist.

Her arms were stretched out behind her, gripping onto the back of the blue scooter and absolutely refusing to move. The stubborn lack of affection made Ron's heart sink. He hated to think that he had hurt her feelings so badly. And as he slowly veered into his driveway and pulled up his two-wheeler with a steady halt, all that Ron could panic over was what Kim might say to him next.

The teenage girl was quick to dismount and come to her feet, ripping her helmet from her head. For a split second, Ron feared that she was going to leave without speaking a single word at all. But when instead all Kim chose to do was cross her arms and turn her back to him, the sidekick took another deep breath.

Quickly taking the hint - and not wanting to bear witness to any further decline in their disagreement - Rufus jumped down from Ron's shoulder with one last squeak of confidence. Kim watched as their little buddy scurried through the garden and around the back of the Stoppables' house. She was so set on focusing her energy anywhere other than towards her boyfriend, that she almost jumped when she suddenly heard his voice.

"I'm sorry."

His words were only whispers, but were totally unmistakable as Kim slowly spun around and finally allowed her vision to land on Ron.

"I'm sorry I stole your battle suit, and for cheating my way onto the team," he paused then, swallowing a watery lump in his throat, "And I'm _really_ sorry for lying to you, Kim."

The ache that stung in the pit of her heart was instant. If it was grovelling that Kim was after, Ron had certainly ticked that box.

When she didn't respond straight away, Ron's sad, brown eyes drifted down towards his feet. But then, Kim cleared her throat.

"Do you trust that I'm one hundred per cent in on this?"

"Wha-" he stuttered, almost speechless, "Yes - _yes_, of course I do, Kim, I - "

"_So_," she interjected with one commanding finger against his lips, "No freaking out over the totally bogus 'must date a jock' rule, _remember_?"

Her warning to him only came with a slight harshness in her tone before Kim softened and reached down to take Ron's hand in hers.

"You and me work because we both abide by our own set of rules. No more food chain, no more caring what anyone thinks, and no more Bonnie manipulating us," she spoke more gently, running feather light circles on the back of his hand with her thumb.

The motion made faint goosebumps pop up all over the skin of Ron's arms. His face flushed red as he looked down to the ground again, this time with a small smile on his face. But Kim was quick to tilt his chin back up to face her.

When she spoke next, her voice was still sweet, but had adopted a firmness that Ron had long come to know as one of complete and utter seriousness.

"If anyone ever says anything again about you or me or both of us that upsets you, can you please just tell me?"

She didn't need to say anything more. Between her comforting words during their earlier orchestrated clash and everything that was pouring from her heart right now, Ron knew that every single one of Kim's syllables was genuine.

"I will. I promise," he swore to her with a desperate nod of his head. A sheepish frown slumped back into his face for a second as he repeated himself, "I'm sorry."

Kim squeezed his fingers between hers, "Me too," she offered, quickly cutting him off before he could protest, "For not knowing how miserable you were all week."

The twinge of guilt was still etched into his freckled features as Kim finally relaxed a little more and lightly jabbed her boyfriend in the arm.

"Come on, goofball," she laughed, "Did you really think I'd be mad at you forever?"

Her teasing punch landing on his bicep thumped in time with his heart skipping a beat in his chest. His mouth was dry as his bottom lip dropped open just slightly. For a second, he thought he might reply to her with an earnest smile or a lighthearted joke.

But after Kim's last words, there was only one response that Ron truly wanted to act upon.

The timid, teenage boy executed just the tiniest amount of caution when he leaned down towards his girlfriend. Kim might have said that she'd already forgiven him, but that didn't necessarily detract from how badly Ron had screwed up that evening.

But despite any worry that still sat with him, Ron sensed the most intense warmth wash over his body when Kim immediately met him halfway and locked her lips onto his.

His eyes fluttered shut as Ron breathed out in complete bliss. The emptiness that had filled him no more than just five minutes ago instantly dissipated when Kim took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. Ron wasted little time imitating her movements, creeping closer and lapping at her kiss affectionately.

In three months of being lucky enough to kiss her every single day, the sensation never felt any less amazing to Ron. If anything, every chance he got to share in the sweetness of her taste only made him happier - and _hungrier._

With a sudden lick of bravery, Ron gently scrunched one hand between Kim's red locks and splayed the other against the bare small of her back under her cropped cheer shirt. His arms flexed as he tightened his grip on her and cornered her body between his own and the solid door of his family's garage. Kim's breath hitched in the back of her throat with surprise. But after just one moment of hesitation, the teen hero only responded in kind as she tilted her head to the side and deepened the kiss with her boyfriend.

The sudden passion that had settled between them was overwhelming. Kim felt the metal roller door press into her back as she forced a heavy breath from her nose and opened her mouth to meet the gentle caress of Ron's tongue with her own.

The steamy make out session had seemingly come out of nowhere - and neither Kim nor Ron were certain of where exactly it was going to go next. But before the young couple could become too entangled with all the emotions of the past week, Kim suddenly jumped when her peripheral spotted the bright, yellow light of her front porch flick on next door.

"Oh, shoot," she cursed with a growl, quickly detaching herself from Ron, "It must be ten, I've gotta' go."

Ron felt his head spin when Kim vanished from his arms. But as he scraped around on the spot, his disappointment was quickly quelled when she reappeared with one, long, final peck against his lips.

Her flirtatious whisper came with an even sweeter smile, "Cya' tomorrow."

The sidekick was shocked when he didn't simply faint right then and there.

Ron's lips were still tingling as he watched Kim scamper across his front lawn and over towards her own, her purple and white skirt dancing around her hips. He slowly reached up, daring to touch his mouth in the place that was wet and glistening from her sugary lip gloss. But when he felt the harsh latex pinch around the crook his elbow, Ron's dreamy expression suddenly snapped open in realisation.

"Wait, KP, the suit - !"

"I'll grab it back off you tomorrow!" Kim called back with a wave, "Good night!"

And almost instantly, it felt like the entire weight of the world had been lifted from Ron's shoulders.

He really never should have paid any attention to anything that had happened over the last week. Despite what he had mistakenly heard from his girlfriend - for whatever bizarre reason that he still didn't quite understand, Kim wanted to be with him. He was the _only _guy she wanted to be with- the fierceness of her kiss had surely just proved it. And all of that meant a million times more than any rumours about moving on and trading up ever would.

In fact, as he whispered right back to her in near silent response, the only thing that Ron was certain of actually being traded up - was the strength and depth of everything he was feeling in his heart for Kim Possible.

"'Night, Kim."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, would you look at that... just over two weeks, and already a fresh update to this story! It's amazing what some time off from work can do for your motivation :) Happy Holidays everyone!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter. It's so great to have so much source material to extend on like the events in this episode, the first of S4. But I definitely have plenty of original content to come as well - like the next snippet planned here. And if you thought this chapter was starting to get a little hot, then boy oh boy... ;)
> 
> I promise to update again soon - and that the next chapter will be much longer! Please feel free to leave kudos and comments :)
> 
> Till next time, guys... Happy New Year! x.


	5. So Not... Ready to Run

The Austrian ski slopes were absolutely breathtaking, even as the severe blizzard raged on.

The tall, white lights that lined the tracks were almost certainly overshadowing what had to be a billion bright stars speckling the dark sky. But the way the heavy snowfall danced and swirled under the glowing light was surely just as beautiful.

The glass of the window was cool to the touch as Kim admired the natural spectacle through wide, green eyes. The redhead relaxed in the warmth of the fireplace she could feel burning on the opposite wall. The calm that filled her was so still that she nearly jumped in surprise at the sound of her name.

"Miss Possible, I simply cannot thank you enough for the safe return of my precious sculptures."

Kim turned around on the spot, brushing off the all too familiar praise with a humble grin. It's not that it wasn't fulfilling to hear how appreciated she was - there was definitely no denying that. At the end of the day, there was just one person's opinion of her that she truly cared about above all others.

And Kim's heart simply raced at the proud smile Ron was beaming at her from across the room.

With a small shrug of her shoulders, Kim took a step away from the window, "It was no big, Lord Wagner."

"Yeah, well, except for the sculpture of the snow leopard that Junior was trying to tow away on the back of his sled," Ron interjected with a scratch of his head, "That was pretty big."

Lord Walter Wagner came from one of the wealthiest families in Austria, and was the owner of the high-class ski resort where he and the teen heroes currently stood. Kim and Ron had been called to the European country when the Lord's prestigious collection of expensive ice sculptures had been stolen from the sub-zero vault under his mountain-top cabin.

The attempted heist was yet another failed plot by the Seniors - one that had started out as a cover for an early birthday trip for Señor Senior Senior. But their foolish underestimation of Team Possible quickly became their undoing.

They may have just managed to escape - Senior was surprisingly nimble on a pair of skis for an old man - but what was most important was that each of Lord Wagner's priceless possessions had been safely recovered. And now, Kim and Ron were preparing to head back to the States just in time to start their weekend.

"Well, seeing as Snowy and the rest of your collection are right back where they belong, we should probably be on our way," Kim spoke, reaching for the Kimmunicator, "But if there's any more trouble around here, you can call - "

Before the last of her sentence could fall from her lips, Kim raised a curious eyebrow at the bizarre waves of static that crossed the screen of the Kimmunicator.

"Wade?" she asked, squinting at the flickering image of her tech genius.

"Ki- " Wade stuttered over the poor connection, "Wh- bl- "

Ron had joined Kim by then, peering over her shoulder just in time to spot the screen go completely blank. There was a beat of confused silence, before the familiar four-tone jingle bounced off the walls of the ski cabin.

When Kim answered, she was relieved to see a much clearer picture of Wade's face, "Wade, can you hear me?"

"Sorry, Kim. I had to re-route the connection," Wade began, "That is one nasty blizzard you guys are dealing with up there."

"Oh, come on," Ron argued, rolling his eyes in disbelief, "Don't tell me a couple of itty, bitty snowflakes really froze your whole system?"

"That's not the only thing the storm froze," Wade sniped back at his friend's sarcasm, "All flight paths in and out of the country have been totally shut down for the rest of the night."

Any sense of cynicism dropped from Ron's expression as he and Kim spoke at the same time, "What?"

"So, the ride you had already lined up for us?" Kim asked skeptically.

"They wouldn't be cleared for take off even if they tried," Wade confirmed, "Sorry guys. The blizzard's due to clear up overnight - I can have you out of there first thing in the morning."

"And in the meantime we're supposed to stay, where?" Ron questioned.

Kim sighed in agreement, her mind wandering for a moment as she chewed down on her bottom lip. She was just beginning to reach for a semi-decent solution, when her train of thought was suddenly derailed by the other voice that still lingered in the room.

"Why, the two of you are more than welcome to stay in my guest house tonight."

"_Hey_!" came a protesting squeak from the pocket of Ron's pants.

Lord Wagner chuckled to himself, "And your fearless, little rodent friend, of course."

The two teen heroes spun around on the spot to stare at the wealthy lord in pleasant surprise.

"Oh... Lord Wagner," Kim began gratefully, "I mean, we wouldn't want to impose - "

"Nonsense! It is the least I can do to repay you for all your help this evening," he insisted, beckoning Kim and Ron towards a second window, "See the cabin just at the crest of that smaller hill? My spare bedroom suite is all yours for as long as you need - I insist!"

The young couple exchanged a fleeting glance, and then with another shrug of their shoulders, Kim directed her attention back down to the Kimmunicator, "I guess we've got a place to stay for the night, Wade."

"Sounds great," Wade spoke with a breath of relief, "Leave the other details with me. I'll let your parents know you're safe, and reschedule your trip home for first thing in the morning."

"As always, Wade - you rock."

"Sleep tight, guys."

As the screen went black, Walter eagerly clapped Ron on the back, "Excellent news!"

Kim shot the lord an appreciative smile, "We so can't thank you enough, Lord Wagner."

"The pleasure is all mine, my dear," he assured her, "Now then, my personal assistant resides in the guest house, as well. I'll call to him to prepare the room for yourselves, and then he'll be straight down to collect you."

"Wow," the redhead exclaimed, "Again, thank you."

"You're both more than welcome," Walter replied, offering his hand for each of them to shake, "If there's anything else you need, please, do not hesitate to ask."

With that being said, Lord Wagner took his leave, stepping out of the main lounge of the ski resort to make the call to his assistant from reception.

For just a moment, Kim and Ron remained totally speechless. A chill ran up Kim's spine as she fixated her vision back on the pitch black sky beyond the window. A million miles away from home in the freezing cold wasn't exactly where she pictured laying her head to rest that night, but the teenager knew there was no use complaining.

Turning back towards her boyfriend, Kim offered Ron an affectionate smirk, "Well... bright side?"

Ron cocked a teasing eyebrow, "Um, we're in a beautiful, snow-covered country with a luxury pad to crash in for the night - I'd say the _whole _side is a bright one."

Kim's smirk beamed into a smile brighter than the flames from the fireplace. Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around Ron in a loose hug, "You took the words right out of my mouth."

Before they both knew it, the pair were being whisked away across the slippery slopes on the back of a speedy snow mobile. Their driver, Walter's assistant, was a stocky man who introduced himself as Tobias. Kim and Ron weren't convinced that he didn't secretly double as Lord Wagner's body guard, as well - he certainly knew his way around the powerful motor that roared beneath them.

It may not have been a long journey between the main building of the resort through to the guest house, but with the snow still tumbling down as heavily as it was, the teens were grateful for the lift. Kim was nestled in behind Tobias, with Ron sitting at the back and sandwiching her securely in place. The blonde boy inched closer towards her. He had one arm stretched out to the back of his seat to keep stable, while his other was slinked tightly around Kim's hips, holding her snug against him.

Kim felt her heart skip a beat. It definitely wasn't just the freezing temperature that was making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

The warmth beyond the heavy, wooden door was a welcome sensation against their skin. Kim and Ron melted at the sight of the smaller fireplace at the end of the hallway that heated each corner of the house. As the three of them removed their ski masks, Tobias cleared his throat.

"Now then, your room for the night is just here to the left. There are plenty of towels, additional bedding can be found in the drawers, and two pairs of guest pyjamas have been laid out for you," he explained with a friendly nod of his head, "And as Lord Wagner said, if you need absolutely anything at all, my room is right across the hall."

"Wait, I have a question," Ron spat almost instantly.

Kim shot her boyfriend a suspicious side-eye, "_Ron_ \- "

"We kinda' haven't eaten since lunch, so if you could be so kind as to point out which of these tall mountains has the nearest Bueno Nacho, then - "

"_And _on that note, we will leave you to it," Kim interjected, grabbing onto Ron's shoulder and dragging him towards their room, "Thank you again, for everything. We'll see you in the morning!"

"Hey, wait, KP - !"

Tobias simply chuckled under his breath as the two teenagers disappeared behind their door. Ron slouched down in disappointment as soon as Kim released her grip on him.

"Kim," he whined, "This is a nine-one-one empty stomach situation!"

The redhead rolled her eyes, "Sleep now, food later. We need to get some shut eye if Wade's flying us out first thing in the morning," she argued, before adding with a laugh, "Besides, you are such the exaggerator."

His vision narrowed at her accusingly, "About what?"

"Not eating since lunch?"

"I haven't! I - "

"The whole bag of Snicker Doodles you downed on the trip across the Atlantic?"

"Well, yeah, okay, I mean aside from - "

"_And _the entire tray of hors d'oeuvres you inhaled in the resort literally fifteen minutes ago?"

"They were little, mini wieners with potato cheese spread, Kim!"

"Hck, wieners!" Rufus agreed, leaping to Ron's defence.

With her arms folded across her chest, Kim raised an unwavering eyebrow at the two of them. No matter how many times they tried to tag team her with their own bizarre logic, Ron and Rufus truly were no match for their fearless leader.

"Fine," Ron huffed out with a pout. His words may have been compliant, but his stomach only continued to protest as he spun around on the spot to hide its grumbling sounds from his girlfriend.

A curious frown sunk into his face as Ron tried to distract himself by gazing around the room. There was a rather cozy looking plush sofa nestled in the corner beside the tall chest of drawers. With his interest piquing further still, the blonde boy reached forward and tugged open the top drawer. A mountain of comfortable sheets were neatly packed inside, and just like the rest of the small room, they exuded only the finest luxuries.

"Oh, yeah, silk sheets!" he exclaimed, "Boo-yah! Rufus, buddy, you'll sleep like a king tonight!"

With an eager squeal, Rufus sprung from Ron's pants pocket and scurried to the edge of the wooden drawer. And then, with all the grace of an Olympic high-diver, the naked mole rat leaped into the deep space and buried himself beneath the silky waves.

Ron chuckled to himself. That was almost certainly the last he would be seeing of his little, pink pal until the next morning. As the sensation of sleep finally began to creep up on him, as well, Ron spun back around to smile at Kim.

"So, which bed do you - oh."

Ron wasn't sure why he expected to see two single beds pushed up against the far wall when he turned around. This was a guest room, after all. At a high-class ski resort. That had been offered to him _and _his girlfriend.

But even so, the sight of the queen-sized bed staring back at him made the teenage boy's heart skip a nervous beat.

As she leaned into his side and wrapped her hand around his, Kim smirked up at Ron.

"I think you mean which _side _of the bed?"

A single bead of sweat slowly rolled along Ron's hairline. The flirtatious tone of Kim's comment was definitely telling him one thing, but somehow, the gentlemanly chamber permanently located at the front of his brain instantly warned him otherwise.

"Uh... I could always take the couch, like, if you wanted."

As soon as the last word had fallen off his tongue, Kim stretched upwards and kissed Ron on the cheek with a small laugh, squeezing his hand.

"Relax and get comfortable, goofball. Just give me two minutes for a super quick shower, and then we can go to bed."

Her hand slipped away from his as gently as Kim gathered up her pyjamas and slipped into the guest en-suite. Ron watched her leave, gulping in time with the latch of the door closing in place behind her.

The immediate silence that filled the bedroom left Ron with nothing but his own thoughts - and they were speaking absolute _volumes. _He blew out a shallow breath, trying to drown out the voice in his head as he glanced down to the pair of PJs left on the bed for him. But as he reached for the zipper of his snow jacket, Ron suddenly froze, his eyes flying back to the door of the en-suite.

Should he wait for Kim to finish up in the bathroom so he could change in there after her? Would it be awkward if she walked out in the middle of him getting undressed? The couch actually didn't look too uncomfortable, if he was being honest...

The abrupt sound of the water from the shower turning on instantly snapped Ron out of his panicked trance as he blinked and shook his head at himself.

Was he seriously allowing this irrational sense of anxiety to get to him? This was _Kim _he was talking about, his KP, his best friend. Aside from the fact that his pants-less antics had led to his girlfriend seeing him in his underwear a million times before, Ron knew exactly how Kim felt about him. And he knew that she wouldn't be putting herself in this situation with him if it wasn't what she wanted.

The fluffy, fleeced guest pyjamas were incredibly soft as Ron pulled the long-sleeved shirt over his shoulders and buttoned it up his front. He slung his damp snow gear over the arm of the couch to dry, and then spun back around to face the foot of the bed. Taking one step forward, Ron released a second, brave sigh. Kim had told him to relax and get comfortable, after all.

As he switched the main light for the lamp on the nightstand and climbed into bed, Ron realised that this wasn't even close to the first time he and Kim had slept beside each other. Not to say that it had happened recently, exactly... but it certainly wasn't anything new to them.

There were a million sleepovers as kids at six, seven, eight years old where they would curl up with each other and a bed-full of Kim's Cuddle Buddies and crash out for the night. When they were older still, in their early teens, a few too many late night movies in the Possibles' living room would often end with their eyes closed and their heads on each other's shoulder.

But, obviously - this was very different to all of that.

When he heard the water faucet turn off, Ron felt his breath hitch in the back of his throat. He wriggled down underneath the blankets, but in the very next second, he shot back up to lean against the bed head. Sitting up would surely be less confronting. Or less... _whatever _Ron was worried about this sitch being.

The humidity from the steam that poured in from the bathroom to the bedroom was instant when Ron glanced up at the sound of the door clicking open. A coat of goosebumps quickly popped up over his skin at the mere sight of Kim. Her gorgeous, red locks were tied in a high ponytail on top of her head to keep them from getting wet in the shower. She tugged on the black elastic, allowing her hair to cascade over her shoulders as she took a second to shoot her boyfriend the tiniest smile.

Just when Ron could swear that his thoughts had finally stopped and his voice had fully returned to him, any attempt of his to speak was quickly cut off by Kim.

"Ya' know what really tweaks me the most about the bad guys getting away? I mean, like, a part from the whole evading justice thing?"

As she crossed the carpeted floor and pulled back the covers, Ron suddenly fell back to silence again. Of course Kim was nothing but the cool, calm and collected young woman she always was. The confidence simply oozed from her as her weight sunk into the mattress beside Ron.

"It's the totally flawed sense of entitlement they magically gain that tells them to immediately go out and commit another crime," she went on, "Especially the Seniors. Honestly, those two have all the money in the world, but instead of using it to do something worthwhile, they'd rather have us chase them all over the world forever while they steal priceless ice sculptures and invest in spinning tops of doom."

Her last word came with a sarcastic roll of her eyes as she lifted her legs onto the bed and climbed under the thick, warm duvet.

"I mean, not that I'm complaining, I guess," she continued, not noticing how intently Ron was watching her every move, "I love what we do, and I'm more than happy to help people. But I don't think it's selfish to want just a slightly heavier skew in the win-loss record sometimes."

Man, those pyjamas sure were cute on her. They were maybe a tiny bit big, but the over-sized look added such an alluring imperfection that Ron wasn't used to seeing in her. Not to mention the fact that her top button was undone, and...

Ron suddenly snapped himself out of it, his cheeks turning red. Here Kim was, unloading all the weight she felt from the bad guys escaping that night, and Ron didn't even have the decency to properly pay attention to her. Not that he could be _totally _blamed, of course. Kim was so beautiful that it was no surprise he was becoming so distracted - especially as she began to wriggle her way further across the bed.

Each movement she made seemed to come so naturally to her as Kim coaxed Ron to shuffle down under the sheets with her. She pulled his arm around her shoulders and silently rested her head on his chest. No doubt she was able to hear how loudly his heart was suddenly pounding. And yet, Kim simply carried right along.

"But, anyway, so not the point right now. I still can't believe Lord Wagner was nice enough to let us stay here tonight. Like, yeah, obviously we helped him out, but we help people all the time, and the generosity has never been _this _off the charts, you know?"

In the swift moment of confusion, Ron frowned to himself.

Was she rambling?

Had Kim been rambling this whole time?

"I mean, a hot shower, all that food you ate, our own room, our own bed, just you... and... me..."

And then, that's when it hit him.

The heat from her skin powered on a light bulb in his mind as Ron looked down at Kim. An intense blush had finally seemed to settle into her face, which was conveniently shied away into his side and out of his direct sight.

While her general complaints of villainy were all too understandable, Kim hadn't been expressing her thoughts as a means of getting them off her chest. Instead, her constant chattering was being used as a tool to fill any silence that she feared would awkwardly creep in between her and Ron.

One of those very silences passed by in a single beat as Ron hesitated. And then, for the first time in the last ten minutes, the teenager sensed the butterflies confidently soar away from his stomach.

If there was one thing that could cause his normally dormant volcano of bravery to bubble over the edge, it was knowing that Kim was feeling just as flustered as he was.

As he scratched the back of his neck, Ron took a deep breath.

"This is really nice."

His comment settled into the quiet of the room - softly, sweetly, innocently, and with a sense of complete and utter calmness. With the slightest movement of her head, Kim glanced back up to stare at Ron. And through narrowed eyes, the teen hero smiled.

How lucky was she that he knew her so well? It was a beautiful kind of intimidating to know that her unshakable facade of constant courage wasn't anywhere near enough to fool him. And how lucky was Kim further still to know that no matter the mask she wore, none of them would cause Ron to ever see her any differently?

Plucking her bottom lip between her teeth, Kim didn't need another second to think as she slowly leaned up and pressed her kiss against Ron's. There was almost a joint sigh of relief from the young couple as they finally crossed the dreaded bridge of initial contact - and almost instantly, it was clear that they had been crazy to question any awk-weirdness in doing so.

There was only one other question that remained. Now that they had dared to take the first stumbling step - how much further across that bridge were they both willing to travel?

Any logical thinking on Ron's part was quickly thwarted when Kim embraced him a little closer and dived into him a little deeper. Her fingers traced the outline of his face as she reached up to caress his cheek. Her touch had to be laced with some kind of supernatural power. It gave Ron all the added bravery he needed to move his mouth with more meaning against Kim's as their lips parted for one another.

The heat of her kiss was enough to melt every last icy snowflake that flew past their window. Ron could swear it. His heart raced when he felt Kim roll her hips just slightly and inch her way closer inwards, daring to timidly wrap the lower half of her leg around his.

Kim's head was in a spin as her best friend continued to lap at her kiss with all the affection in the world. It made her stomach flutter with thousands of irresistible nerves. The sweetness of his breath as she drank in every ounce of it drove her crazy. The gentle movements of his mouth and his tongue made her shiver. The warm grip of his hand where it sat on her back, sliding down between her shoulder blades, past the tingling skin of her ribs, over the curve of her hips... oh _man._

When his palm nestled under her shirt and against her bare skin in the delicate dip of her back, a coy voice in Kim's head almost wondered if Ron was going to slip any lower. It was like, for a split second, she was nearly, sort of... _hoping _for it? _Was _she?

But then, before her thoughts had the chance to totally distract her from the pure magic layered between each of his kisses, Ron suddenly snapped his girlfriend from her trance. His hand had a more protective hold on her when it shimmied away from her waistline, climbing back upwards as he squeezed at her side and began to slow in their kiss.

Kim didn't want it to end. She stole the last possible opportunity to arch her body into his and meet her lips with his in a final, long, tender peck.

The pounding of their hearts drowned out any other noise in the room, and their breath was hot on each other's faces when they eventually parted. Kim's green orbs remained downward at first, but when they finally crept up to find the brown of Ron's, her boyfriend was already staying at her with reddened cheeks and a tiny, goofy grin.

"Did you, um," he began quietly, "Did you want to go to sleep?"

Kim subtly chewed down on the inside of her cheek. A sudden heatwave of pining and the faintest hint of desire told her a million and one other things she'd rather be doing than sleeping right now. And the way Ron's thumb was tracing circles around the bone of her hip only echoed all the same cravings.

But it didn't take long for common sense to kick in.

Kim and Ron were thousands of miles away from home. This was their first night as a couple sleeping beside one another, and it was also the first time one of their make-out sessions had taken such a distinct, horizontal positioning.

No matter how much she adored the way Ron looked at her and the way his hands felt on her skin - Kim knew that this had been more than enough firsts for one night.

Baby steps, she told herself. Baby steps were perfect.

"Can I use your shoulder as a pillow?"

Ron chuckled under his breath, his mouth crinkling into another smile. It was one that carried a sense of confidence that he had very obviously been lacking only fifteen minutes ago - but still, the relief in his expression was clear.

Ron definitely wasn't in any kind of rush, either.

"I dunno' how comfy it's gonna' be."

Kim giggled right back, snuggling her head down into the crook of Ron's shoulder as he lifted his arm back up for her, "Comfy enough for a solid night's sleep, hopefully. We'll be up bright and early in the morning."

"Bright and early?" Ron repeated, shocked, "What, no sleep in?"

"We have to get back home," Kim argued, still laughing, "We've got that huge math quiz of Barkin's on Monday that we have to study for this weekend, remember?"

Ron's expression collapsed into a foul cringe. Barkin. How that man managed to infiltrate even a steamy make-out session with his beautilicious girlfriend, Ron would never begin to understand.

As he shook off the disgust of his looming C-minus, Ron stretched across to his left and flicked off the bedroom lamp. When he rolled back over, Kim instantly wrapped her arm across his torso, closing her eyes.

She heard him sigh in happiness. The feeling was definitely mutual.

"Good night, Ron."

"Sweet dreams, KP."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay - confession time. I had intended for this chapter to be a little longer... I know I had promised some steam, and I hope this initial sample is more than enough for now ;) When this portion began to hit close to the 5k word mark, I decided to split up my original idea into two separate chapters. Which of course means there's only more of the above to come... *wink*
> 
> I would love to hear everyone's thoughts and comments for now! I'll try to be back as soon as I can :)
> 
> Till next time, x.


	6. So Not... Feeling the Pressure

"Make sense now?"

As he tilted his head to one side and examined all the crosses and squiggly lines on the notepad before him, Ron's brow settled into a frown.

"Yes..." he began, hesitating, "Yeah, I... wait, wait, no - which badly drawn circle is me again?"

"Ron," Kim droned with a teasing roll of her eyes, "You do know that my total knowledge of football is actually slim to none, right?"

"But you've been around the team since you started cheering in freshman year," Ron countered, "You've gotta' understand more of Barkin's mumbo-jumbo than I do?"

Rufus suddenly popped up on Ron's shoulder, squeaking in agreement, "Mumbo-jumbo!"

"That mumbo-jumbo is a game plan, Ron, not a cheer routine," Kim laughed, tearing off the sheet of paper and waving it in front of his face, "Me; cheerleader. You; football player."

With a sweet smirk plastered across her lips, Kim waited for Ron to jab back at her with just as much sarcasm as she had. But when her boyfriend's expression only slouched with a forlorn sounding sigh, Kim sensed her own features soften.

The silver metal seat of the bleachers where they sat was cool against her legs as Kim slid closer to Ron. She could swear she almost heard his breath catch in his throat.

"Hey, but seriously," she started gently, "You are completely owning this whole running back thing. You've scored touchdowns, you've set school records, and your teammates respect you, Ron. I know any one of them would be so more than willing to help you out with the whole psychology side of your game."

Ron shot a smile down towards his feet when he felt Kim place her hand on his padded knee. She always knew exactly what to say.

"People, off your lazy keisters! I want one more lap of the field and then everyone hit the showers!"

As both their heads snapped up at the booming sound of Mr. Barkin's voice, Rufus did the same, darting off to collect the last of the Middleton team's dirty towels. As for his humans, Ron only stifled a mute groan while Kim chuckled under her breath.

It was Thursday afternoon, and the last period of the school day for Middleton High. It also happened to be one of Kim and Ron's favourite days of the week, and not just because it foreshadowed the upcoming weekend. Eighth period on Thursday meant cheer training for the young hero, and football practice for her sidekick. And seeing as each session ran in tandem, it _also_ meant that they got to keep a close eye on one another at the same time.

Ron may have still been very new to the whole team sport thing, and he was head-and-shoulders the smallest on his squad, but even if he didn't realise it, he clearly stood out to Kim. There was something so refreshing - and _all_ too alluring - about seeing her boyfriend focus his 'mad running away skills' with more purposeful intent for a change. But when it came to Ron observing Kim while she cheered, well... those facts only spoke for themselves.

As Kim stood up from the bleachers and began her descent back down to the field, Ron couldn't help but smile. The Mad Dog purple really did always suit her. Her uniform hugged her curves perfectly and swayed with her hips with each step she took. When she spun around to grin at him, the twirl of her pleated skirt sent butterflies soaring through Ron's stomach.

"Guess I'd better do the same."

As the return of her voice snapped him out of his daydream, Ron raised an eyebrow at Kim, "You're gonna run a lap of the field with me?"

"Ron - "

"Because, look, I already trip myself up enough without you showing me up, too - "

"No, Ron, hit the showers," Kim cut him off with another laugh, "Meet you at the car?"

"You know it," Ron spoke, nodding his head as he joined Kim back on flat ground, "And, tonight's plans?"

"Gotta' get a start on that history paper, remember?"

"Ugh, seriously, come on," Ron groaned, "I was thinking something more along the lines of a post-training chow-down?"

Kim narrowed her green eyes, "And by that you mean, Bueno Nacho?"

"You know we've both earned it," Ron sing-songed temptingly, taking a step closer to Kim and reaching for her hand.

The goosebumps that exploded across her fingertips were instant.

Kim's face flushed the faintest shade of pink at Ron's touch as she gazed up at him. Plucking down on her bottom lip between her teeth, she hummed in faux hesitation, leaning up towards him.

"I suppose I could be persuaded..."

"Stoppable!" Barkin thundered, slicing right through the near-romantic moment, "Unless you'd prefer to run the lap on all fours, I suggest you get a move on!"

Ron shuddered, "Oh no," he muttered, "Not the crab walk..."

With one final giggle, Kim brought her boyfriend back down to Earth as she placed a short, sweet peck on his cheek, "You heard the man," she taunted him, about-facing on her way back to the locker room, "I'll cya' in a sec!"

Ron couldn't help but steal one last second to watch her as she left. Her red locks bounced with each skip in her step as she finally caught up with Tara and a couple of the other girls. Ron's heart was pitter-pattering with such speed in his chest that it nearly tore right through his skin when an abrupt slap on the back made him jump.

"You'd better pick up the pace, _and _your jaw off the floor while you're at it, Stoppable."

With a sheepish smile, Ron scratched the back of his neck and finally started in a slow jog alongside his teammate who had dragged him so harshly back to reality.

Henry Nguyen was the Mad Dogs' wide receiver, and one of the guys that Ron had gelled with best since joining the team. He was probably the next smallest on the squad, and had only been playing since the year prior, so was fairly new himself. That wasn't to say that Ron hadn't clicked with the rest of his team by now - but Henry's friendly demeanour and smiling face wasn't any less of a relief to the running back.

Reverting back to the nudging comment from his fellow senior, Ron shrugged his shoulders, "C'mon now, H-Man," he spat back with the same teasing tone, "Can the Ronster really be blamed for admiring such a beautiful lady?"

"Definitely not," Henry answered a little too quickly, earning a raised eyebrow from his friend. The dark haired boy backtracked with a laugh, "In a non-creepy and totally platonic way!"

Ron simply rolled his eyes as the two rounded the bottom corner of the football field. He was almost on the verge of huffing and puffing from exhaustion already, until Henry's voice returned to distract him.

"How long have you two been dating for now, anyway?"

Ron grinned inwardly, "Coming on three and a half months, my man."

"So, like... what does that mean?"

With a confused frown, Ron almost stumbled over his own footing, "What do _you _mean?"

"Like, have you two ever..." Henry paused, mulling over his next words, "Ya' know... sex?"

The sound of the single syllable collapsed like a heavy weight on Ron's shoulders as he turned white as a sheet, "What?" he squeaked in surprise, "What, ew, no, n-not yet..."

"Ew?"

"Wait, no - no, no, obviously I don't mean '_ew'... obviously_," Ron's head was suddenly a scrambled mess as he was clearly struggling at the start of his sentence.

With a small knot of guilt quickly forming in his stomach, Henry cringed, pulling Ron up by the arm and slowing the both of them in their place, "Dude, no pressure, or anything - sorry, it was just a question."

"N-no, it's okay," Ron recommenced, still a little uncertain, "It's just that... like, it's just still a little weird, ya' know? Kim and me have been friends literally forever, and I mean, we haven't even spoken about any of that yet, even though I... kinda'..."

In a rare occurrence of self-awareness, Ron abruptly found himself cutting off his own panicked ramblings.

...He kind of, _what?_

"Well, look, it's totally not even a big deal," Henry spoke, derailing Ron's train of thought, "You don't want to mess things up with her by rushing anything, right?"

The blonde boy silently nodded his head, but in reality, he wasn't sure if he had completely heard what his friend had said. His thoughts were suddenly somewhere else. Thousands of miles away, in fact, under a wave of silky sheets and locked away in a cabin amongst the snow covered mountain tops.

Ron and Kim hadn't even spoken about what happened in Austria. Well, not _properly_, anyway.

He didn't have the first idea how she felt about it all. All that Ron did know, was that he had wished himself back there just about every single night since.

"Nguyen! Stoppable! Did I say you could stop mid-lap for a chit-chat and a tea party?!"

Both boys suddenly swung their necks around at the sound of Mr. Barkin's voice roaring at them from across the field.

And then, they completely froze.

Ron and Henry both knew that look in Barkin's eye.

"Oh, no..."

"Not the - "

With one almighty huff, Mr. Barkin blew into his whistle like a steam train and thundered out loud,

"Get down! All fours! _Now_!"

* * *

Kim stifled the smallest yawn as she hit 'save' on her typed essay and leaned back in her chair. Taking a quick glance at the time in the corner of her computer monitor, the teenager smirked proudly. An afternoon snackage date with her BFBF and three quarters of a history essay completed, all by nine-thirty. Not bad, she told herself.

Shrugging out of the loose sweater hanging over her shoulders, Kim stood up from her chair to make a start for her closet. She could almost feel the comforting embrace of her favourite pair of pyjamas, when a sudden sound drew her back to her desk. Her cellphone buzzed and vibrated against the wooden desktop with the incoming call. And when she picked it up to flip it open, Kim instantly smiled at the caller I.D.

"Hey, Ron-"

"Kim!" Ron near enough shrieked into the receiver, "Barkin! Revised game plan! Game tomorrow night! No time to study! Water rising, _water rising_!"

"Ron!" Kim immediately countered, "Calm down, take a breath! Barkin sent through an updated game plan for tomorrow?"

"_Yes_!"

"And do I need to give you the whole cheerleader versus footballer pep talk again?"

"Oh, come on, KP," Ron pleaded with her, "I know you're not totally down with all this, but I need all the brain power I can get over here. Ya' know, they wrote about the Da Vinci Code, but I'd say the Barkin Code is much harder to crack!"

With an affectionate roll of her green eyes, Kim sighed down the phone. She really could be powerless to him at times, "Five minutes, okay? I'll be right over."

"Thank _yooouu_. Thank you, thank you," Ron sang, "Dinner, after the game tomorrow night, on me, whatever you want."

"Mhm," Kim hummed in disbelief, slipping back into her sweater, "As long as what I want includes ground beef and nacho cheese, right?"

"Well, if we're talking about stimulating brain power - "

"Do not push it," Kim warned him with a laugh, stepping down from her loft, "I'm coming downstairs now."

"You're the best!"

A distinct warmth ran over Kim's chest as she hung up her phone. She always was a sucker for his sweet talk.

She could only imagine that her boyfriend's current level of stress meant that he hadn't touched his own history paper just yet - but Kim supposed she could wait until the game was out of the way before she began hassling him. One battle at a time.

With this thought in mind, Kim suddenly found herself almost waging an entirely different war when a harsh rush of air nearly swept her completely off the staircase. She gritted her teeth, frowning at the jet-packed twin terrors as Jim and Tim flew around her head on their way up to bed.

"Tweebs!" she barked, barely dodging their loops over the banister.

"Sorry, Kim!" Jim started, looking to his brother.

"We're just testing out - "

"Some left over rocket parts - "

"From your car!"

With one final laugh from Tim, the boys zoomed around the corner and up the hall towards their room. But still, Kim growled in frustration.

She may have only been saying goodnight to Ron on her front doorstep three short hours ago, but already Kim was prepared to stay up talking football with him all night if that's what it took to save herself from the tweebs.

"Is there a reason we've never considered brainwashing them into channeling their genius into something less destructive?"

Both Doctors Possible glanced up at their daughter from their place on the living room couch with sympathetic smiles. Her parents had just been settling in for a relaxing hour or so in front of the television when Kim descended the stairs.

"Be our guest," James answered her with a small laugh, "But that's one mission I'm not sure even you're up to, honey."

Kim grimaced with a roll of her eyes, but she knew her father was right. She may have saved the world fifty times over, but she wasn't a miracle worker.

"Headed out somewhere, Kimmie?"

The eager fluttering of her chest was so deafening that Kim didn't hear the distinctly suspicious tone in her mother's voice.

"Ron's having a total meltdown. Barkin sent through some last minute changes to their game plan for tomorrow night. He asked me to try and work through it with him."

When she bent down to slip on her shoes, James and Ann shot each other a concerned glance.

"Okay, well..." James began, trailing off for a moment, "Kimmie-Cub, you do know it's almost ten o'clock?"

With an innocent twinkle in her oblivious expression, Kim shrugged her shoulders, "Oh, no big, Dad. If it gets too late, I'll just crash there."

The nonchalant tone that accompanied the last two words from his daughter made all subtleties fall flat from James' face.

"Excuse me?" he spat with a laugh, "A sleepover? At your boyfriend's house? I don't think so, young lady."

Kim had almost made a start for the front door when James' sudden demands made her freeze on the spot. The teenager slowly spun around, flicking her vision between each of her parents as she raised an eyebrow. After a short second, Kim chuckled under her breath.

"Ha, okay, very funny..."

When James leaned forward in his leather recliner and folded his arms over his chest, Kim's stomach dropped in realisation.

"...You're serious?"

"Well, I don't know why you're so surprised," James countered, trying to keep his voice light, "You've never been allowed out with a boy past your curfew before - why did you think this would be any different?"

There was a beat of silence. And then Kim snorted.

"Because it's _Ron_?"

"Exactly, it's Ronald. The most..." James took a pause, clearing his throat, "The most _serious _boyfriend you've ever had."

Kim's head was in a spin. Was she really hearing what she thought she was?

"So, wait, let me get this straight," she recommenced, taking a step further into the living room, "Ever since I started high school, the rule has been home, _or _next door at Ron's by ten. But now that we're dating, you're telling me all of a sudden that rule's gone flying out the window?"

"Yep. I'd say you pretty much nailed it."

"Dad," Kim sniped, annoyed by her father's sarcasm, "You do know I only slept over there, like, four months ago?"

"Yes," James agreed, "When you were still just friends."

Her emerald eyes narrowed, "I slept in his bed."

"Because he would offer it to you while he took the couch," came James' retort, "Are you going to stand here and tell me that would still be your sleeping arrangement now?"

This line of questioning from her dad was quickly starting to make Kim squirm. She liked to think she had a fairly open relationship with James - with Ann, as well, but this particular conversation was one that she had been thrust into with absolutely no warning. It was a discussion that she hadn't even actually had with boyfriend yet. Not really. And at this thought, Kim's cheeks flushed an embarrassed shade of red.

"This is so unfair," she suddenly snapped.

Ann's eyes widened in surprise, "Kimmie - "

"Are you saying you don't trust me?"

"That's not what I'm saying at all," James shot back, trying to defend himself.

"But you don't, right, like, at all?"

"Kim," he warned her sharply. The doctor appeared exasperated as his shoulders remained tightly pushed back, "This conversation is over."

"Until when?"

"Until you're thirty."

"Dad!"

"Or until you get married, whichever happens first."

Kim's fist scrunched up in a frustrated ball by her side as she resisted another snide remark she could taste on the end of her tongue. In one last desperate attempt to plead her case, the teenager looked to her mother.

"Mom?"

With clear empathy in her blue eyes, the Possible matriarch gave her daughter a soft smile. But Ann didn't hesitate.

"Listen to your father, sweetheart."

The disappointment in the pit of her stomach was heavy as Kim fell to silence. She swallowed a harsh lump in the back of her throat. She _knew _that she wasn't acting like her normal, reliable, mature self. The back and forth she had just shared with her father was not the sort of outburst her parents expected from her, ever.

But if James and Ann wanted to treat Kim like a child, then where was the point in giving them anything less?

As she scraped around in a circle and made a heated start for the stairs, Kim sensed one last challenging comment prick at the corner of her brain.

"Fine," she called back over her shoulder, "But where do you think we've been sleeping on overnight missions?"

"Kimberly!"

Her dad's booming voice was only an echo up the staircase, and her phone was already cradled beside her ear by the time the redhead made it back to the privacy of her room. Her agitation was bubbling up to the surface more and more, until finally, Kim sighed in relief when the ringing over the phone came to a stop.

"Hey? Everything good?"

"Not even remotely," Kim snarled between her teeth, "Boy, do I have an update for you."

Ron's confusion was audible as he stuttered over a sentence before Kim only cut him off.

"Turns out now that we're dating, I'm not allowed to be at your place after ten. Ever again," she emphasized, "You've fallen under the curfew umbrella."

"Oh," Ron responded, trailing off for a second as the realisation hit him, "Ohh, that so tanks."

"More than tanks, it's so totally flawed."

"Well, like, I'm sure your 'rents have their reasons, I guess..."

"Ah, correction. '_Rent_. Singular. My dad is the one completely freaking out over the whole thing."

Kim scuffed the bottom of her foot along the rug on her bedroom floor, "It's like he doesn't trust us."

"You really think that's it?"

"Uh, yeah," Kim immediately shot back, "Or maybe it's just me - maybe I'm the untrustworthy one for once in my life."

"Well, look, I can pretty much guarantee that I am way too terrified of him to be untrustworthy," Ron joked, letting his filter slip, "It's not like I was even gonna' do anything, anyway..."

There was a sudden lapse in their conversation as Kim's bottom lip dropped open.

The comment was obviously just the result of Ron's wandering mind. He didn't mean it. Kim was sure he didn't. But the defeated thud of her heart behind her ribs was louder than the volume of any logic that desperately tried to sound off in Kim's brain. And the silence she had fallen into was all too clear to Ron.

"Oh- oh, wait, KP - "

"Well, okay, good to know," she interjected bluntly.

"Crap, Kim, no, that's not what I - "

"I'm sure my dad will be thrilled to hear that my boyfriend has zero physical interest in me."

"Kim - !"

"Look, I've gotta' go, Ron, I just..." with a final huffing sigh, Kim muttered under her breath and snapped her phone shut, "I'll see you tomorrow."

And then, finally, there was quiet. All except for the thoughts that still whirled through Kim's brain, of course. Thoughts that she didn't have the first clue how to deal with.

With a small shake of her head, Kim raked her hand back between her long, red locks and turned towards her bed. She stopped herself then, freezing when she spotted her reflection in her mirror across the room.

Kim hesitated. As she slid her jacket back down her shoulders, she turned to the side, examining her slim figure up and down. When her outer layer fell to the floor, the teenage girl chewed down on her bottom lip, shivering a little when she pulled her cropped tee over her head next. Her stomach was toned and smooth. Her neckline was perfectly slender. Her chest... was not as pronounced as some of the other cheerleaders on her squad, but was well proportioned with her tiny waist.

Kim groaned in frustration. She certainly wasn't self-indulgent, but she wasn't lacking in confidence, either. Kim knew she was pretty. Ron had told her a million times before how pretty she was. So then why was he seemingly showing a distinct lack of... _desire _towards her now? Kim didn't know. But it kind of sucked.

When she collapsed backwards onto her bed, Kim snatched up her pillow and held it over her face, letting out an agitated roar. Between her dad's unreasonable authority and her boyfriend's hurtful betrayal, she was suddenly far too exhausted to stay awake for a moment longer and give either of them another thought.

And not only because she was vehemently ignoring just how much she _might _have overreacted to both arguments that evening, too.

* * *

It was much later that same night when she first sensed herself being stirred from her deep slumber. Kim may have still been half asleep, but the rattling outside her window and the blundering sound of the latch clicking open was unmistakable.

She took another moment, forcing her eyes open into the darkness and centering herself as she evaluated the potential threat at hand. The jostling at her window had stopped by now, but that was only because the heavy-footed assailant had made it through her windowsill and was now crossing the carpet of her room.

Kim remained calm, not wanting to move a single muscle and alert the intruder. There was no way to tell how much danger she might have been in. But when she felt the figure approach her bedside, that's when Kim's mind suddenly flew into overdrive and she only wavered for a second longer.

In one swift movement, she teen hero ripped her blankets back and swung her body around ninety degrees. Her legs made sharp impact with the intruder's hips, startling them and knocking them to the ground.

With a quick flip, Kim was out of her bed and on her feet above the shadowed figure. With a vicious growl, she dropped a harsh knee into their back, right between their shoulder blades. There were muffled, defiant groans and yelps of pain coming from whoever this person was, but Kim was so focused on locking their arm around them and behind their back that she barely even took the time to recognise their voice.

"Not so fast," she warned.

"_Kiiiiiiim_!" the familiar whine echoed into her room, "Ow! Kim, it's me, it's just - ow - me!"

Kim's eyes widened, "Ron?"

One final squeak of discomfort from the boy beneath her confirmed everything she needed to know as Kim quickly stood back up. She looked down at her boyfriend, frowning at him as he flipped over and clutched at the fast-forming bruise on his back.

"What are you _doing_?" she hissed into the darkness, "Apart from signing your death certificate if my dad catches you up here."

With another groan, Ron came to his feet, shaking his head, "Yeah, I somehow doubt there's gonna' be much left of me for your dad to waste into space dust if you drive my face through the floor first!"

His whispered shouts quickly made Kim counter Ron's volume, "Well, excuse me if certain past experiences have led me to be cautious about my room being broken into in the middle of the night!"

"You weren't answering your phone!"

"_Sleeping_, Ron," Kim stressed, pointing over the digital clock by the side of her bed, "What was so urgent that it couldn't wait till morning?"

Following her gesture, Ron sighed when he spotted the red, glowing numbers staring back at him. One forty-seven in the morning.

"Look, I had to come see you, okay?" he admitted, rubbing the very clear bags under his eyes, "I kinda' couldn't sleep knowing that I hurt your feelings."

For the first second, the genuine sweetness from the blonde boy made Kim's heart flutter. But somehow, her stubborn irritation from earlier that evening wasn't going to let him get off that easily.

Ron's eyes followed his girlfriend as she circled back towards her bed. He swallowed a lump in his throat, "I'm sorry, Kim."

Kim sat down on the edge of her mattress, folding her arms over her chest, "For?"

With a dismayed scratch to the back of his neck, Ron shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno' - for making all this stupid game plan stuff your problem in the first place. For shoving my dumb foot in my dumb mouth - again. And just, like, for making you think for even a second that there's any existence out there where I..."

He paused, mulling over his words as his cheeks flushed red.

"Where I... don't... _want_... you."

Kim totally froze, her mouth agape as goosebumps ran up her arms. But still, her jawline remained stiff, "Go on?"

His vision had fallen away from hers for a moment, but as he took a deep breath, Ron glanced back up at Kim, "I guess I'm just, like... I dunno', scared?"

Finally, the teenager's expression softened, "Ron," she soothed him, patting the spot next to her on the bedspread, "What are you scared of?"

Ron's body flooded with relief as he shot Kim the tiniest smile before collapsing next to her where she sat. He sighed again, "I mean... okay, I thought it would be weird to, like, hold your hand. But it wasn't. Then I thought it would be weird going from a friendly hug to a _real _hug. But it wasn't. And I thought it would be weird to kiss you but it really, _really_ wasn't."

A coy kind of smirk curled up in the corner of his lips at this last comment. But then, Ron's confident demeanour faltered, "Only now I'm sort of worried that... like, as soon as we try to do anything more - "

"It'll be totally weird?"

Ron turned his head to slowly look at Kim as she finished his thought for him. His mouth upturned into a wobbling frown, "You think so, too?"

Kim rolled her eyes, "Ron - "

"Aw, man, this stinks!" he hastily concluded, jumping back to his feet, "This is what I get for not taking health class in ninth grade..."

"Ron, relax, I'm so not agreeing with you," Kim laughed, standing up to join him. When he tilted his head to one side, the red head paused again. And then, Kim took a step forward, reaching for Ron's hand, "You really don't think I'm kinda' scared, too?"

Ron's chocolate coloured eyes grew wide, "You are?"

"Well... duh," Kim chuckled again, shrugging her shoulders, "This is all super new - to both of us - and, like, we obviously don't want anything to go wrong. Not just on a dating level, but within our friendship, too."

She gave his hand a quick squeeze as she spotted the horror flash across his face, "Not that it would," she promised with a soft laugh, "I'm just saying that I understand how you feel. And that it's okay."

"And, so... Austria was - "

"Spankin'," she assured him with a dreamlike tone in her voice, "Austria was perfect."

"And not, like, too much? Or, too _little_, even, I just - "

"Ron," she interrupted again, catching him before he could spiral any further, "Everything was amazing, exactly how it was. I'm not looking for anything to change - not this quickly. I just want us to take our time."

Her voice was like velvet as Ron finally allowed Kim's explanation to comfort him. Her smile glowed into the darkness. He was wearing his regular blue, striped pyjamas, and Kim's features only continued to beam when she slipped her hand away from his and fiddled with the hem of his button-down shirt.

"This is good, okay? As long as we keep going slow and keep knowing when to press pause, this is only going to be good."

"So, you're not, like, in any rush to, um... to have - "

"Have sex?" she finished for him, giggling as his face turned beet red, "No, I'm not. But you know we are allowed to talk about it, right?"

"I know, I know," he assured her, trying to shake his embarrassment. Her opposite hand was still lingering against his as his palms dripped a thin layer of sweat. He tugged his grip away, but before Kim could protest, Ron looked back up at her with a grin.

His heart fluttered.

"Whenever I get caught in any stupidly, awk-weird head space, I just remind myself that, ya' know... that it's you. I get to experience all of this with you. So, it can't actually be all that scary."

They were both still whispering so softly that Kim wasn't even sure she heard him at first. But it wasn't long until her chest swelled and her stomach twisted into an adoring knot.

"So... what happens now?"

Just as she had subtly danced her fingers along the edge of his shirt to reach his very bottom button, Kim brought herself to a halt. It was so like Ron to be completely oblivious to just how irresistibly sweet he could be, but in this case, he actually had a point. The redhead rolled her eyes, annoyed with herself.

"What happens now is that I grovel to my parents first thing in the morning and apologise," she confessed. She took a step back then, pacing her room and still shaking her head at herself, "They were right to put their foot down, and I threw a tantrum like a little kid. Seriously, it was like I re-entered total childhood bratdom."

"Well, hey, don't go getting on your parents bad side on accounts of me," Ron teased with a laugh, "Earning the brat title for my sake is so not worth it."

His bashful sway to one side was so endearing that Kim was sure the fast pumping of her heart would erupt.

She had definitely been on a roller coaster of emotions that evening. And while the one still simmering on the surface may have been a slight guilt for how tweaked she had been at her boyfriend - deep down, all that Kim could focus on was the intense and sudden desire Ron was making her feel for him.

After all, she _had _ended up getting everything she wanted that night. She and Ron were alone, in her room, after curfew. And Kim intended on showing Ron exactly how bad she wanted _him_, too.

When she stepped back towards him and linked her hands behind his neck, Ron's breath caught in his throat.

"Do not go selling yourself short."

Her kiss was bold and heated when she leaned up on her toes and crashed her lips into his. Ron was instantly taken aback - both mentally and physically, as the force of Kim's embrace almost knocked him off his feet. But he quickly found his wits about him.

Kim's skin sizzled when Ron's hands found their place around her waist, before shifting down to clutch at her hips. They lapped at each other over and over again, swapping saliva and exchanging a hundred sweet kisses. Kim's hunger was increasing all too quickly as she rocked forward, pressing herself that little bit closer to him. Ron only responded in kind, holding her tightly as he deepened their kiss.

Their intensity eased for a moment then. They both emitted the tiniest sighs of ecstasy as their lips parted and came back together, opening further to one another. The taste was as perfect as it had ever been, but the familiarity of it all was never a bore, to either of them. Kim leaned in further still, latching her fingers around the collar of Ron's shirt and tugging him in to meet her.

That's when his testosterone reappeared at full force.

Kim shivered when she felt Ron's kiss begin to massage the inside of her mouth as one hand followed the outside of her mauve coloured P.J. pants and finally - _bravely_ \- slipped over the curve of her backside. In a split second, she considered dragging him along the carpet and pulling him down on the bed on top of her. But the blonde boy had other ideas.

In a sudden burst of adrenaline, Kim found herself squeaking in surprise as Ron's opposite hand followed the lead and gently grabbed onto her behind, lifting her from the ground. She immediately coiled her legs around his waist, giggling away when he twirled them around on the spot and placed her down on top of her desk by the window. There was a rather loud clatter as the computer mouse and her books and some stationery went tumbling to the floor, but as the two instantly fastened their lips back together, Kim and Ron were well beyond the point of caring.

His hands clawing through her long, red locks felt amazing as Kim dared to keep her legs pinned closely to Ron's hips. Their tongues danced together for the most incredible moment, until suddenly, Kim sensed Ron beginning to slow all over again. He seemed to hesitate - for only the shortest second - and then, his kiss took a nervous stroll away from Kim's mouth and down towards the corner of her jaw.

Her abdomen ached. With all the wordless consent she needed, Kim arched her neck back and bit down on her bottom lip when she felt Ron pepper her soft, porcelain skin with a thousand warm kisses. She held him closer, tilting her head back down as she searched for his lips again and ran her manicured fingernails under his shirt and up his back.

They hadn't been this close since that magical night in Lord Wagner's cabin. And it only seemed that they were picking up right where they left off as the teenage girl sensed her boyfriend's grip settle in the small of her back. Kim blew out a deep sigh from her own lungs and into Ron's. She could feel how much it made his knees wobble. But it wasn't just his footing that was becoming shaken. As he cupped her cheeks with one, long, devoted kiss, Ron felt the shivers running down each of his fingertips when he dropped his hands back down to clutch at the hem of Kim's shirt.

Both of their hearts were absolutely racing by now. In a matter of only three or four minutes, they had totally smoked any of their previous makeout sessions and were suddenly on the cusp of something much more serious. In one last moment of desired certainty, Kim could almost hear the gears turning in Ron's mind when he questioned himself again. With a gentle hand, Ron shimmied his way back up Kim's torso, stopping with careful intent at the straps of her bra that protruded from under her tank top.

The redhead radiated a smiley blush into her boyfriend's kiss as she coaxed his hold on her back downwards. She loved the feeling of being so protected by him, but despite the fact that Ron was clearly checking whether or not she was naked under her tiny, purple top before taking the next step - Kim was so beyond done with all their uncertain questions and nervous hesitation. She was ready to tiptoe that bit further along the path of intimacy. And she that knew Ron was, too.

"Mhm."

The small murmur from the back of her throat that reverberated against his lips was all the added confidence the teenage boy needed as he delicately lifted the material over his girlfriend's head and threw it to the floor. She immediately slung her arms around his neck and pressed her newly exposed skin against his chest. His breath was weighted by now, and Ron panted, almost in desperation, as he stole a second to take a purposeful glance at her.

His face completely lit up. The darkened colour of his brown eyes told the full story as they scanned her body up and down, totally fixated on the perfect sight of her bare torso and the plain, black bra that clung to her chest. Kim could almost hear him telling her how beautiful she was, even though he might have still been too nervous to actually speak. He dived back into her, placing a soft kiss at the top of her neck just under her ear and tracing his fingers along the wiring of her bra at the same time.

A high-pitched, little mewl echoed from between Kim's teeth. There was a distinct feeling bubbling in her stomach - a feeling which she knew was pleasure. And when Ron's lips trailed down her throat and landed in the dip of her collarbone, Kim swore she was going to explode.

Without even stopping herself to think, Kim whispered Ron's name silently under her breath and reached around her own back for the clip of her bra, shrugging out of one of the straps.

That's when the sound of the toilet flushing from downstairs and the bathroom door clicking open made both teenagers jump out of their skin.

Kim and Ron quickly sprung apart, wide-eyed and with their breath held in. They waited in total silence, spying on the staircase that led up to Kim's room with the most intense apprehension. She almost considered scrambling for her shirt, but didn't want to risk making any sudden noise.

Eventually though, the sound of a second door opening and closing made the young couple release a sigh of relief. The footsteps had barely made any noise at all - it must have been one of the twins, Kim thought to herself.

But still - both teenagers knew that had been one _close _call.

The teen hero took a moment to examine herself up and down, her cheeks suddenly flushing the same colour as her hair. A flustering pang of surprise crossed her when she truly realised what she was, or rather, what she _wasn't _wearing. And the feeling was only amplified when she gulped, remembering how close she had just come to willingly losing the black undergarment, too.

It was Ron's hand on her knee that abruptly snapped her out of the trance she had fallen into. And when he looked down at her with an adoring smile and all the affection in the world, that's when Kim knew to instantly stop second guessing herself.

Locking her vision onto his, she quickly adjusted herself and licked her bottom lip to speak, "Should we - um..."

"Press pause?"

When he completed her thought without any hint or tone of disappointment, Kim felt her heart soar. With an appreciative smile of her own, she leaned forward to press a quick, soft peck against his lips.

"Just for now. Not forever."

The happiness dancing in his eyes was magical. His vision still couldn't help but drop every now and then to examine the toned skin of Kim's bare stomach and the womanly perk of her chest. But the way her thumb joined his as he drew circles around her belly button told Ron that this new level of comfort they had reached with each other was one that was totally okay.

With only the slimmest reluctance, the teenage boy bent down to retrieve his girlfriend's top. Her goosebumps instantly dissipated when he passed it to her and she pulled the purple material back over her head. But when her face popped through the neck-hole and she flicked her red locks out of the way, Ron immediately noticed the change in Kim's expression.

She was frowning to herself and chewing down on the corner of her bottom lip when she cleared her throat, "Look, just about how mad I was earlier... Ron, I - "

Ron rolled his eyes as he cut Kim off with one last kiss. After the moment they had just shared together, the sidekick was not prepared to have it dampened by any unnecessary apologies.

His passion lingered for only the shortest second before he finally pulled back and smiled down at the thankful understanding in Kim's gorgeous, green orbs.

He offered her his hand, helping her down from her place on the desk, "I should probably get out of here, ya' know, before we really do get caught."

Kim was unwilling, but she knew her boyfriend was right, "Okay. But for the record, I wouldn't actually let my dad send you hurtling into space, you know."

"Yeah, but you getting grounded is just as worse," the blonde boy argued sweetly. Kim scrunched her nose up at him, following his steps back to the window.

When he reached the glass screen through which he had clumsily entered, Ron came to a halt, scuffing one socked foot against the other. The redhead smiled up at him, tracing her fingers around the outline of his own.

"Breakfast tomorrow? Here? Like, before school?"

Ron chuckled in eager response, "Are you kidding? I'll be at your kitchen table six pancakes deep before you even make it downstairs."

Typical, Kim thought to herself. No matter what other aspects of their relationship may have still been up for discussion, their regular breakfast dates over Mrs. Dr. P's pancakes was never an argument to be had.

When they realised that neither of them had spoken for a couple of seconds, Kim's eyes found Ron's in the darkness. The teen hero sensed her restraint crumble as she stretched upwards to wrap her sidekick in a tight hug. Ron was quick to return the gesture, holding her back just as securely.

The moment felt desperately heavenly. Ron didn't want to let her go. And then, he cleared his throat.

"I, uh - "

A further silence made Kim frown again when she felt Ron freeze. But then, he simply shook his head in the crook of her shoulder. With a second murmur from under his breath, Ron held his girlfriend for a moment longer before gently letting go.

"I'll cya' tomorrow," he whispered.

His voice made her shiver, "Good night."

Kim wasn't sure why she hadn't expected a less than graceful exit from him. But somehow, the teenage girl watched on with giddy surprise and a cheeky smile as Ron scaled down the side of her house before slipping and landing with a thud on the grass beneath him.

His mumbling, little 'ow' made her shake her own head with another laugh as her dreamy, green orbs followed the figure of her boyfriend scurrying across the yard and safely back to his own house.

She wished he could have stayed. She would've loved nothing more than to fall asleep with late night cuddles and awake to morning kisses, just like they had in Austria.

But as she took her hand to her chest and blew out a wistful sigh, she was truly starting to realise much more than all of that when it came to Ron.

It hit her like a tidal wave. Kim was falling for her best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I know I have literally zero excuse for being away for so long seeing as we've all been stuck at home. But I hope this 7k words of juicy sweetness more than makes up for my absence ;)
> 
> Hopefully be back soon! I hope everyone is safe and well! Look after each other, guys.
> 
> Till next time x


	7. So Not... A Great Threat

Kim had never really noticed before just how many stars actually speckled the night sky. Not in a totally oblivious sense - she understood the basic theory of the size of the galaxy, and every other galaxy that stretched beyond her own. But when she glanced up at the millions and billions of shiny dots that illuminated in the darkness, Kim couldn't help but shake her head.

There were just _so _many stars. And after tonight, Kim only wondered how many more of them were inhabited by extraterrestrial foes.

"Okay, so, look - I'm not going to deny that the player love is definitely a step up from the mascot love..."

Kim could only just hear the sound of Ron's voice above her own thoughts. But still, her vision remained skyward.

"But is it just me, or was everyone actually cheering louder for the Pep Puppies than they ever did for the Mad Dog?"

As he stood by and waited patiently for some level of comfort from his girlfriend, Kim's silence only made Ron raise an eyebrow at her.

"KP?" he asked, "_Hello_, Earth to Kim?"

When he waved his hand in front of her face, Kim suddenly snapped out of her trance, looking up at Ron with an empty blink.

"Sorry," she murmured, "I was miles away."

"Everything good? You were totally spaced out."

Kim felt an internal shudder cross her as she groaned, "Please - don't say 'spaced'."

The very moment that the last word left her, Ron sensed his expression drop with concern.

The teen hero had made it back to Middleton High a short while ago after successfully thwarting yet another attempt of Doctor Drakken's to take over the world. Only this time, there had been a distinct twist in his foul plan. This time, Dr. D. had enlisted some intergalactic assistance.

Now, Kim was sitting on the hood of her car where she had been waiting for Ron to return from the locker room after his football game that evening. And while the blonde boy had already checked in with his girlfriend and made sure she was okay, the features of Kim's face were telling a very different story to the words she had originally spoken.

"You're sure the fake out from the twins and me worked, right? Like, we're not worried about that two-legged alligator turning around and flying her ship right back here?"

Kim cracked a smile, "No. We're not worried," she quickly dismissed, her smirk only growing, "You were great, and so were the tweebs. Maybe even better than they were in their debut at _Mad Dog __mascotary_?"

Her teasing comment caused Ron to furrow his brow at her. But his appearance soon morphed to a matching grin.

"Oh, really?" he challenged, taking a flirtatious step forward.

Kim nodded her head, her sarcastic, green eyes twinkling under the moonlight, "Mhm. They're pretty light on their feet. I heard they nailed their big finale, too. Must be their heightened levels of youthful hand-eye coordination."

Even when she was tormenting him, Kim had an irresistible way of making Ron's knees go weak. But all the same, he snorted at her daring brashness. He was relieved that the twins had already been collected by James after the game and weren't there to join in the madness of the Mad Dog related torture. Although, that suddenly wasn't the only reason why Ron was happy to be alone with his BFGF.

As he slung his training bag off his shoulder and placed it on the hood of the car beside Kim, Ron narrowed his brown eyes at her, "Hey, I'll have you know that all this sportage and additional exercise has done wonders for my hand-eye coordination."

Kim's smile widened expectantly when Ron's fingers came wiggling their way towards her. She started laughing before the tickling even began. Her giggling was absolutely infectious. She breathlessly attempted Ron's name between each laugh as she swatted his hands away. Ron's heart was racing happily when he crept even closer to her. He almost placed one leg firmly between each of her own as his hands wandered away from her stomach, around to her sides and over her ribs.

That's when her adorable laughter turned into an abrupt hiss of pain.

Immediately, Ron came a halt, "Kim?" he asked with the smallest panic. Rufus echoed all of his human's concerns when he appeared on Ron's shoulder with a surprised squeak. They both watched on as Kim recoiled and rubbed delicately at the spot by her waist.

The redhead chewed down on her bottom lip, cursing under her breath, "It's okay, it's nothing. I got a little roughed up, but it's, like, literally the tiniest bump."

Ron's skepticism was unwavering, "Yeah, it sounded like it," he spat cynically.

When he returned his hand to Kim's side, he waited to see if she would protest. His touch was feather soft. And when Kim sighed in reluctant defeat, she glanced up at him with confirmation in her expression.

The teen hero winced a small amount when her boyfriend lifted the back of her shirt up to gaze at the dark bruise that had formed in purples and blues on her back. Being hurled at crashing speed into the wall of Drakken's temporary new lair had certainly done more damage than Kim was willingly ready to admit.

Rufus blew out a soft gasp from between his bucked teeth, and Ron's voice was dismal when he spoke, "KP..."

"It's fine," she repeated, "Turns out Warmonga is just a lot bigger and stronger than Shego is. And greener, actually, believe it or not - "

"Are you sure you're okay?"

When he cut off her lame attempt at a joke, Ron's grip moved from her back to gently cup one side of her face, making Kim's bottom lip drop open. She almost stuttered over that start of her next sentence.

"Yeah... I mean, yeah, I've had worse battle wounds than this before, I - "

"I don't just mean on the outside?"

Instantly, Kim's heart melted.

She had never been one to allow any lingering frustrations or fears from her missions to consume and torment her. Nothing had even come close to shaking Kim like that. It was unheard of.

But while that certainly may have been how she was viewed by all the ordinary people in her life, clearly it didn't mean that any rare vulnerabilities on her part were able to slip by unnoticed by Ron. And Kim was _so _beyond lucky for that.

When his hand fell away from her face, she reached forward to lace her fingertips with his, "I'm okay," she promised sincerely, "Admittedly a little freaked out, but okay."

Ron was almost tempted to question her again, but instead found himself releasing the deep breath he was holding when he finally spotted a genuine smile cross her. He almost looked a little guilty for being so unnaturally worried about her, but Kim only squeezed his hand tighter.

"I know alien territory isn't exactly a regular sitch for us. But we handled it, right?"

"_You _handled it," Ron corrected, "Game or no game, next time I'm coming with you. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't protect my girlfriend from being squashed by some nine foot freak?"

Kim raised an eyebrow of disbelief at her sidekick.

"..._Or _be the clumsy distraction?"

She laughed then. That was more like it.

"Forever?"

"You know it."

"Good."

There was a warm blush glowing in both of their cheeks when Kim leaned forward and pressed her lips to Ron's with a light peck. But the tiny gagging sounds from Rufus quickly told the teenagers that maybe it was time to finally go home, instead.

They parted with one last whisper of a chuckle when Ron stood to the side so Kim could hop down from her perch. He grabbed his bag and hung it back over his shoulder while Kim jingled her car keys between her fingers, hesitating again. When she cast her eyes back up to late evening sky, she sighed.

Kim did not lack even a single ounce of confidence in all of her insane ability - _ever_, but the whole alien encounter had definitely been wildly unexpected. Not to mention super confronting. They may have been able to easily outsmart Warmonga, but Kim only wondered if their physical battle had raged on any longer... would she have managed to out-_muscle _her?

The teen hero wasn't sure. She was just glad that it was all over.

"M'lady?"

When she glanced back down to find that Ron had opened the driver's side door for her, Kim felt the tickling of butterflies in her tummy. With one last shake of her head, she finally tore her thoughts away from the events of that night and made her way past her boyfriend. She smiled at him as she felt his hand ghost over the small of her back when he led her to her seat.

The thud from the door was quiet when he closed it in place behind her. A hell of a lot quieter than the thudding of her heart, anyway.

_That,_ Kim was absolutely certain of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! Who could ever believe I'd be back so soon?! :)
> 
> Nothing too special this time - just a cute little fluffy (and slightly foreboding) filler chapter. I'm sure it's super obvious, but just in case, I'm making my way chronologically through S4 and highlighting what I think are some of the more important moments, as well as including some original ideas of my own. And while there's not much in this particular chapter, I think the first appearance of Warmonga is pretty critical, considering what we all know happens later...
> 
> BUT, side note on all of that - it means I've been quickly re-watching everything to determine exactly what *is* correct chronological order. Because the episodes definitely did not air on Disney in correct story line order. And it's super annoying. HAHA.
> 
> Anywho, that's me for this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed the cuteness :) Next chapter is looking to be a little shorter as well, so hopefully I'll be back soon! Please review! I truly appreciate it!
> 
> Till next time, x


	8. So Not... A Break in the Cycle

"Look, all's I'm saying is, all this Shakespeare stuff would be so much easier to understand if dude just spoke like a normal dude."

Kim had lost count of how many times she already rolled her eyes that evening. And yet, when she looked up from her bed and over to her desk, she couldn't help but smirk at Ron.

"You do realise he's not the one speaking abnormally, right? That's how everyone spoke in the fifteen-hundreds. If you were to have a conversation with him today, he'd probably find you hard to understand, too."

"'Sha, as if. The Rondo can talk the ear off anyone, I'm the bon-diggiest when it comes to a convo."

Kim snorted under her breath, "Yeah, you're a real linguistic aficionado."

"I'm a _what_?"

Her reply was immediate. And super sarcastic, "A total dork," she laughed, flicking one of her pens across the room at him.

It was early on a regular, old Tuesday evening. The school day had been a fairly laid back one, only now, the two high school seniors were absolutely drowning in English homework. Well, Kim _was _originally, but William Shakespeare always had been a reasonably easy foe for her to conquer. But, Ron, on the other hand?

With another silent laugh, Kim glanced away from her study notes that were scattered all around her on the bedspread. Her boyfriend was furiously typing away at her computer, sweating on the fact that he still hadn't completed his essay that was due to be submitted to their teacher during first period the next day.

Kim didn't understand how or why Ron continued to surprise her. Surely there had to be something within the blonde boy by now that warned him against leaving all of his homework assignments to the last minute. But still, Kim supposed there was no harm in feeling just a _tiny_ amount of sympathy for her sidekick.

Climbing over the stacks of paper, Kim came to her feet, flicking her red locks over one shoulder. As she took a first step over towards her desk, she hooked her thumbs through the belt loops of her jeans with a flirtatious sway in her stride.

She swore that Ron hadn't even stopped typing to look up at her. And yet, without any word of warning, he suddenly thrust one hand forward, halting Kim in her tracks.

"Ah, nope, that's far enough," Ron spat, "One step closer and you'll be inside my anti-Kim zone."

Taken completely aback, Kim felt her jaw drop open, "Um, one more time?"

"It's the imaginary bubble I've formed around myself for maximum schoolage," he explained, slightly exasperated as he swiveled around in his chair, "This essay isn't going to finish itself, and I can't afford to have any beautilicious distractions."

Her lips were parted for a second longer when a soft pink colour filled Kim's cheeks. For a moment it sounded like the sentence following his original declaration was almost certainly going to be an insult. But of course, in his own obliviously sweet way, Ron somehow managed to turn all that around.

When he swung himself back around to face the computer monitor again, Kim narrowed her green eyes. Challenge accepted.

"So, what exactly would it take to distract you, hm?"

A distinct shiver immediately raced down Ron's spine when he felt Kim brush a dainty hand across his shoulders.

"_Kim_," he squeaked unconvincingly, "Seriously, if I get another F, it's totally gonna' be on you."

Ron's last words had barely left his mouth when they were quickly replaced with a surprised '_eep_' as the gorgeous redhead forced herself into her boyfriend's lap.

"F as in, fudge? Your fave flavour of lip gloss?"

"_KP_!" he tried to argue, darting away from her attempted kiss and shooting back to his feet. Kim had just managed to catch her own balance when she laughed and gently reached for Ron's hand.

That adorable laugh of her was always his undoing, Ron thought to himself. The teenager was mere seconds away from finally caving, when the young couple suddenly jumped at the sound of a voice booming up the stairs.

"Kimmie-Cub! Your mother says dinner will be ready in ten!"

Now, to the ordinary onlooker, the fact that Ron was upstairs, in Kim's room, _alone, _may have been a cause for concern. But after all, James Possible was merely a humble father, not a total tyrant. It was still rather early, and besides, his daughter's technical lack of a bedroom door was all the added security the doctor needed.

Oh, yes - Ann may have been hesitant when they first allowed Kim to move upstairs into the loft once she turned thirteen - but not James. Not for a second. The ever so protective James Timothy Possible had made that particular decision with total and complete _foresight_.

"Thanks, Dad, we'll be down in a sec!"

When Ron's heart rate finally slowed, he gulped, looking to his girlfriend, "It's like he just knows," he joked lamely, "Is your dad a rocket scientist, or a wizard?"

Kim raised an eyebrow at him, "Those two things are so not related."

"A mind reader?"

"_Ron _\- "

While she was sure the back and forth between them could go on forever, both Kim and Ron were abruptly cut off by a chiming sound pinging out loud from the computer. Rufus popped his head up with some curious tittering from where he had been lying on Kim's desk.

The teen hero frowned skeptically, "Are you sure your impending F will be my fault if you're the one wasting all your time on online message boards?"

"The online _school_ message board."

"Didn't spend enough time blabbing to Felix in class today?"

"Uh, I'll have you know I was only posting to see if anyone had any advice on the Shakespeare essay thingy, thank you very much," he defended himself smugly, clicking open the new message, "See, it's just a response... to - oh."

When he trailed off so sharply, Kim peered over Ron's shoulder, "What is it?"

The flicker of anger crossed her just as quickly as the sudden realisation did.

A new message had certainly been posted to the very public online forum for Kim and Ron's entire senior class. Only, it wasn't even a real message. It was a caption. Attached to one very unflattering photo.

_'Is it too soon to start voting for cutest couple in the yearbook? Here's an early nomination! Ha!'_

_Bonnie_, Kim cursed inwardly.

It had been a few days now since the disastrous events of Ron's mutant level Bueno Nacho diet. While the teenage boy was finally knuckling down in health class and trying to put his destructive rampage behind him, it was clear that people like Bonnie were not willing to let the photographic evidence of his former self slide so easily.

Kim's fist curled into a tight ball with all the subtlety she could muster. The picture of Ron at his heaviest with a burger in each hand and his very embarrassed looking girlfriend standing by his side made them both shudder. As she gulped back all her initial frustrations, Kim calmly reached for the mouse and clicked away from the photo.

"Nice to see she doesn't have any better way to spend her evenings," Kim sniped with a roll of her eyes, "She's also clearly forgotten who the head of the yearbook committee is."

Ron had been frozen at first, trying to ignore the number of comments quickly appearing under the photo of him. But when he felt Kim's hand float back down to land on his shoulder, he snapped out of it, smiling up at her.

"Just ignore her. And we so don't have to put any pic in the yearbook you don't want in there."

Rufus offered his own squeaks of support when he patted Ron's hand. He stuck his tiny, pink tongue out at the computer - obviously directed at Bonnie - and eagerly ran along the scrolling wheel of the mouse to roll the web page down. But in that moment, Ron wasn't exactly paying his usual amount of attention to all of Rufus' antics.

Something that Kim had said made Ron skid into a stunned silence. He licked his bottom lip, sort of confused when he raised his voice to speak.

"That _I _don't want in there?" he asked, "Why the heck would _you _want that photo in there?"

For the first second or two, Kim's expression matched her boyfriend's, "What do you mean? Those were new jeans at the time, why wouldn't I want to show them off?"

The realisation toppled down on him like a tonne of bricks. Ron pictured the photo again in the back of his mind as he stared harder at his girlfriend - his slim, athletic, breathtakingly _gorgeous _girlfriend. Kim was all of those things, not to mention so much more. And Ron was just... _Ron._

Maybe it had been all the extra weight slowing him down, or maybe he had simply been the victim of his own absent nature again. But something Ron hadn't been able to see just a few short days ago was suddenly all too clear to him. It made his chest sting with a sweet kind of ache when he spoke.

"You didn't leave."

His statement hung in the air for a split second before Kim frowned, "I didn't...?" she started, shaking her head, "Well, duh, of course I didn't leave. You were, like, twenty feet tall and seconds away from eating the entire town, I - "

"No, I mean, you didn't break up with me."

The 'B' phrase made her heart skip an unexpectedly harsh beat.

Immediately, Kim was speechless. Her face drained to a pale shade of white as she stuttered over the start of her next word.

"What?"

"I mean, like, right before the mutation. Before I was a _literal_ monster. I gained two hundred and seventy five pounds of fat and about a tonne of bad attitude, and..." Ron explained cautiously. He sighed, "And you didn't leave."

The disbelief in Ron's voice was seriously tugging on Kim's heart strings. She tried to dissect exactly what he was implying, but no matter which way she sliced it, Kim could only arrive at the same conclusion. Ron was suddenly surprised that she didn't dump him... because of all the weight he gained?

The teen hero was thankful for a second to breathe as Rufus broke the silence by scurrying off her desk, down the stairs and out of her room. He never did enjoy being present for any serious conversation between his humans... that, and the amazing aromas of Mrs. Dr. P's home made pasta had just begun to waft up the stairs.

Regardless of the reason behind Rufus' hasty disappearance, it made Kim kind of stiffen when she looked across the empty room at Ron. She repeated everything he had just spoken to her in the back of her mind.

And then, Kim blew out a long sigh.

"I wouldn't give me too much credit," she began slowly, taking a seat on the edge of her bed, "I did warn you that what you were doing wasn't healthy for us."

"But would you have left?"

The immediacy of his retort stabbed at Kim in the stomach.

Her brain was racing as she allowed a dozen or so answers to cycle through her conscience. But Kim wasn't naive to Ron's insecurities. And as she swallowed back a nervous lump in her throat, she knew she needed to be honest with him.

"...Yeah?"

When he slouched down in devastation - like she had just pulled the trigger for real, Kim instantly backtracked.

"But not, like, permanently."

Her clumsy argument wasn't exactly going a long way in calming all of Ron's panic. Kim could tell from the soft water colour that had replaced the usual bright, happy, brown of his eyes. She desperately needed to regather her thoughts. And not just for the sake of making Ron feel better, but to prove to him once and for all that he truly had nothing to worry about.

When she patted the spot on the bed next to her to coax him over, Ron had only the slightest hesitation. His footsteps were weighted, but the second he sat down and felt Kim's hand brush over his knee, he sensed the tightness in his chest deflate.

"There is no way I would ever break up with you forever over something as shallow as the way you look," she started with a gentle promise, "But there's a huge difference in being a hottie and being healthy. And what you were doing was ferociously unhealthy, Ron."

Kim paused then, waiting for what she hoped would be her boyfriend's agreement. She had tried to be as honest as possible, without wanting to hurt Ron's feelings, and his silence was only making her heart sink.

But her raw honesty wasn't exactly the part of Kim's sentence that Ron had chosen to latch onto.

_...Did she seriously just call me a hottie?_

"Ron?"

"Hm?"

The expression in his voice was as blank as the one in his face. It made the worry lines in Kim's forehead settle a little deeper into her skin as she moved her grip from Ron's knee and reached for his hand.

"I just had this totally bogus feeling that you were starting to eat yourself into some seriously permanent damage. So, I started thinking that if I couldn't talk you out of it... maybe telling you I wanted to go on a break would scare you out of it..." she dared to explain, searching for a hasty defense, "Which is know sounds so incredibly flawed, and I'm sorry, I just - "

"It's okay," Ron interjected, finally finding his voice. The renewed energy in his tone made Kim frown suspiciously at him as he took a tighter squeeze of her hand.

"It's _okay_, I get it," he repeated, "I mean, I find it hard to believe you're into me most normal days, let alone when I'm the size of - ow!"

The pain that shot up his arm from Kim jabbing him with a playful punch made Ron chuckle. The redhead narrowed her eyes at him teasingly, "No dissing the BF," she warned, "Besides, I'm sure you know what it's like. Attraction grows a little more everyday you spend with someone. Like, right before we started dating, I'll bet you didn't really look at me like... that... either..."

Ron's knowing smirk was growing more and more which each word Kim spoke, until the smugness in his features caused her to trail off. He raised his brow, glancing at her with a look of disbelief in his eye.

"Yeah... I totally get that argument, KP, but it definitely doesn't apply in this example."

The intense blush that filled Kim's cheeks was immediate.

She wondered if there was any merit in the pinch of guilt she could feel eating away at her. Ron had very clearly developed feelings for his best friend long before Kim had ever found the bravery to glance at him in this irresistible new light. But things were so different now. True, Ron could still be an absolute goofball at times, but there was no denying he had found some level of growth and maturity over the last few months.

And that all went hand in hand with Kim's very next point.

When she placed her palm over Ron's heart, she felt the goosebumps explode across his chest.

"But what does apply in this particular example is that attraction starts in _here_," she emphasised softly, "Seeing how amazing your best friend is on the inside goes a really long way in realising just how cute they are on the outside, too, ya' know."

Her tone was still playful, but her words had never sounded more genuine to Ron. He blew out a long breath that transitioned into a small, blissful smile. And then as he reached his hand up to join with Kim's, he leaned in and kissed her sweetly.

Kim wasn't wrong. Ron really did love the taste of fudge. He could sense the glossy sensation on her lips as they parted for a deeper exchange with a grin as wide as his. She shifted her hand from his chest to his jawline then, tracing the edge with one caressing thumb and almost plucking at his bottom lip between her teeth when she slowly pulled away.

Already, Ron was staring at her. Intensely, and oh-so-adoringly. He might have still wondered from time to time how and why Kim liked him so much, but there was certainly no doubt that she just _did_ \- it was as simple as that. And when his mouth quivered happily and he parted his lips to speak, Ron only hesitated for a second.

Until (naturally) the two of them were abruptly interrupted.

"Kids! Dinner's ready!"

The sound of Ann's calls drifting up the stairs snapped Ron out of his trance. His heart skipped a shallow beat of realisation as he watched Kim grimace just slightly at the notion of them being disturbed. He swallowed back his near-words then, flinching with a small smirk when Kim affectionately touched her finger to the end of his nose.

"C'mon, then. Let's go eat, and then straight after dinner, I'll help you finish your essay."

Ron's chest swelled as his face dropped into a thankful pout. She really was too good for him sometimes.

In reality, the thought left him with a sarcastic chuckle under his breath. Kim was truly the girl of his dreams. There was no denying or doubting or questioning that. But with each new day that they spent together, the more Ron was finally starting to believe that maybe he was something similar to Kim, too.

She liked him for exactly who he was. And Ron was never going to take that for granted again.

"So, we're good?" Kim asked quickly, swaying into him with a flirtatious nudge when they came to their feet.

Ron could only smile. Kim had _no _idea just how good.

"Your mom made some vegetables to go with dinner, right?"

The single, surprised laugh that sprung from the back of her throat made Ron echo all the same emotion as Kim shook her head at him. She reached back for his hand, taking it in hers and leading him down the stairs behind her.

She squeezed devotedly.

"You can even have two servings, Mr. Health-Conscious."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello hello, it's me, with your semi-regular dose of cuteness! :)
> 
> This was a scene I was actually looking forward to exploring for a while. I always found it super sweet that Kim never seemed to look at Ron any differently when he chose to experiment with his diet so severely... until he made all those snarky comments in Bueno Nacho at poor Joshhhh! haha.
> 
> Also! Side note I was keen for opinions on - I know I flagged waaay at the very start that I'm not much of an action writer. But I'm feeling like I may not be doing the show justice if I don't pop in a little butt kicking here and there? Unless you're all genuinely just here for the mushy, romantic, (smutty ;)) stuff?
> 
> I'm happy either way. Just wanting to keep the people entertained.. :)
> 
> Any other thoughts and reviews are greatly appreciated as always!
> 
> Hope everyone is keeping safe. Till next time guys x


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